Crafting Textile Connections:A mixed-methods approach to explore traditional and e-textile crafting for wellbeing

Textile making is known to improve wellbeing (Vercillo, 2012; Kenning, 2015) and according to Yair (2011), group crafting activities can also produce multiple therapeutic, cognitive and social benefits. By engaging in group crafts with textiles, individuals can give, be active, learn, take notice and connect with others – all factors associated with wellbeing (Aked & Thomson, 2011). However, as a relatively new phenomenon (Kenning, 2015) this has not yet been analysed in detail using wellbeing scales or matrices. This paper discusses three textile-based craft workshops as case studies where wellbeing factors pertaining to social interaction and connectedness were observed and measured. Workshops weremeasured quantitatively using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) and qualitatively, through thematic analysis of conversation. Our results align with related works, demonstrating an overall increase in wellbeing following participation in textile crafting and explores new territory for wellbeing studies