Craftivism – using craft for political and activist purposes – is gaining ground as a popular and effective way to call for social change and a new exhibition at the Museum of Australian Democracy explores this idea.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights turns 70 on December 10, a document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, which affirms an individual’s rights.

The UDHR Quilt Project features four quilts, each with 30 panels representing the 30 articles which, while not legally binding, have shaped political thought for generations.

The project was coordinated across boundaries when United States based craftivist Stephanie Dunlap contacted Melbourne craftivist Tal Fitzpatrick via Instagram.

“Stephanie had had this idea for a while, to embroider the UDHR but it was such a large project,” Fitzpatrick said.

“She contacted me around the time Donald Trump was elected president and the politics of the time moved her to want to do something.”

The pair put a call out on social media, and within three days had 131 craftivists from around the world wanting to join the project.

People from 17 to 62 were involved, from 21 countries representing 45 different cultures and nationalities, from first-time embroiderers to professional artists.

American crafter, activist and academic Betsy Greer - who shared the initial post - first coined the term craftivism in 2003 but craft has a rich and rebellious history, from Suffragettes who dared to embroider “Votes for Women” into their stockings, to knitting grandmothers who come together with the intention of helping to free refugee children from detention.

“Craft is a really powerful way to have these conversations,” Fitzpatrick said.

“Because it’s seen as something that’s traditionally associated with women’s work it gives women a voice, gives minorities a voice.

“It’s a kind and surprising and gentle way of opening up these voices in a world where political dialogue has become quite adversarial and emotionally charged.”

MOAD director Daryl Karp said the interactive exhibition was a call to action.

“My big concern is with the increasing break down of trust, of trust in government and trust in democracy, declines, it’s important that people don’t sit back and go this is all too hard,” Karp said.

“We want them to be active, engaged citizens and this is part of us continuing that conversation around what kind of Australia do we want, what kind of democracy do we want to see, how engaged do we want to be, and then come here and have a respectful conversation about some of the things that are important to you.”

The exhibition space encourages people to engage with craft making spaces, and bookshelves full of books such as Rozsika Parker’s The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the making of the feminine. Fitzpatrick will return regularly to facilitate workshops and details and be found at moadoph.gov.au

The #UDHRquiltproject is on at the Museum of Australian Democracy, Old Parliament House, until June 2019