ICYMI: Persist, Resist, STITCH!
plus an article & interview of another WWII subversive stitcher
Authoritarianism is directly incompatible with collective joy; it demands fear, obedience, hierarchy and an obsession with security and preparation for war. The unexpected, spontaneous and pleasantly disruptive nature of collective joy takes people off guard and is one of the great equalizers of social and political struggle.
Need I say more? Stay Fucking Joyful and Don’t Obey In Advance both available as kits and PDFs.
Refresh: Revisiting the Definition of Subversive
criticizing something in a clever and indirect way in order to make it weaker or less effective.
Subversive behavior can be motivated by a desire for social or political change, a belief in the superiority of alternative systems, or a rejection of the status quo.
Check!
Another WWII Survivor & Subversive Stitcher
Following last week’s story about Stéphane Hessel I remembered this article about another survivor of the Nazis that I wrote about for Make magazine back in 2011 & thought it might be a good time to revisit it.
This story is so close to my heart that it’s taken me a month to figure out how to write about it. It’s the story of Major Alexis Casdagli, a British soldier in WWII who began cross stitching secret subversive messages while in a Nazi prisoner of war camp. It’s the story of his son, Tony Casdagli, also a cross stitcher, and how he put together a book of his father’s work.
So many people sent me the article that appeared in The Guardian, knowing it would be right up my alley. I was so enchanted with the story that I immediately ordered the book and then, to my great surprise and delight, was able to get in touch with Major Casdagli’s son via email and ask him a few questions.
Click here to read the whole article and interview with LOTS of stitched pieces.
A Few Things That Brought Me Joy This Week
The Talking Cats Go For A Car Ride
Crafting Through The Collapse of Society
A Cat, A Window, A Sky Full of Birds
Two Toxic Cat Friends Catching Up
The Teddy Bear Sheep of Switzerland
That’s it for this week but don’t worry, I’ll have more needle minders next week! 😜
Sending love your way. Thanks for being here!
xoxo
j.
Thank you so much for this story... it was exactly what I needed and a delightful reminder of the power of individual acts of resistance. 💜