Craft Club knitting together successful start at PFW

During the Student Organization Resource Fair earlier this semester, between answering questions from interested Mastodons, Purdue University Fort Wayne graduate student Molly Bair would immediately return to coloring a page on the table in front of her.

“I was completely stressing out of my mind about having to start teaching content later in my class,” Bair said. “I decided to start coloring a page, and it definitely worked. By the time I left, I was feeling much more confident.”

Her class went fine, as Bair said she was ready to walk into the room and own it. Bair is graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Communication and leads two sections of the fundamentals of speech class.  

Crafting exploded during the height of the pandemic as homebound students tried to find appealing ways to fill time. Many continue to pursue these interests, which is the impetus behind PFW’s new Crafts Club student organization.

The club’s president Lauren Sharp, a senior double majoring in political science and gender studies, started the idea and texted Bair. They then added Jean Suarez, a mechanical engineering major, and Ash Eichenauer, art and design major, who came on this semester.

Sharp said she wanted to make new friends, and realized most universities offered craft clubs. Now she wants to make the club accessible to anyone with meetings held the first and last Fridays of the month. During the resource fair, the group handed out more than 100 flyers and 75 coloring sheets. The efforts seemed to pay off as more than 25 students showed up Sept. 15 during a Student Activities Board sponsored event.

The cost to join the club is $5 per semester, which goes mostly toward supplies. The club can be emailed at [email protected] or followed on Instagram @PFWCraftClub for meeting locations. Upcoming sessions in the Liberal Arts Building, Room 35-C, include a Shrinky-Dink Halloween movie night on Nov. 7, trinket box decorating on Nov. 28, and last-minute Christmas gifts on Dec. 5.

There are already plans in place for every meeting through the middle of the spring semester. Sharp’s living room is covered with supplies she’d like to bring to campus. Any skill level is encouraged and welcomed.

“I always tell people that I’m really bad at crafts—notoriously bad at anything art-related,” Sharp said. “But I like doing it, and I like being with people who are doing it, and I like creating that community as well.”

Imagine officers of a campus club who don’t claim to be any good at the activity. What they are really good at is making everyone involved feel comfortable to join in. In fact, participants don’t have to follow the meeting’s particular subject and can bring their own ideas.

“I’m the secretary and I suck at it, so I don’t feel pressured by the title of it being the Craft Club,” Bair said. “I think the digital generation is searching for things that are tangible and have meaning. When we’re being raised on television, social media, video games, more and more we want to be able to feel connection with tangible things that are not just on our phones or on the internet.”

According to Bair, the club promotes itself as open to anyone, no pressure, no expectations—and in many cases—no talent. There are plenty of chances to participate and maybe find new interests as well was new friends.

“When everyone’s stressed out and everyone’s busy, take time to yourself and craft,” Bair said. “It’s a great way to do self-care.”