Basteln, in a Brigade

So I've inadvertently helped start a craft collective here in Berlin. Long story short, I was looking for someone(s) to maybe, possibly help put together a screening for 'Handmade Nation' because it's screening everywhere I'm not - including in Toronto by my dear City of Crafters. I found an amazing little sewing studio called Linkle just a few blocks from my apartment (my serious lack of German skillz kept me from going in for months), but now I had something to talk about so I mustered the up the courage and sent an email. -yep.

Anyway, so Linda of Linkle was totally into screening H.N. and she even thought she could others on board and it could be this great craft party! I was stoked, she was stoked, but anyone willing to help with funds (craft star docs come at a price) or, even enthusiasm was shortcoming.

The idea of the event was still kinda great and there were other craft groups and shops kinda willing to be involved and a 'craft community' is kind of non-existent here so we thought we'd go ahead and do it and maybe this would be a dawn of a new co-operative crafty era. Also, we gave this fledgling collective a name: Bastel Brigade.

The craft party will go on and instead of H.N., we'll be screening a Ein Traum in Erdbeerfolie - a documentary about the avant-garde, handmade, and improvised fashion scene in the former East Berlin. The craft party will be clothing themed with the opportunity to remake a piece of clothing you already own, or learn to make something new.

The collective mind for this event included Linkle, City of Craft, Stitchalicious, La Bastellerie, Eiszeit Kino, and Modular. I hope it doesn't rain.