Crafting qualities in designing QR-coded embroidery and bedtime stories

There is a renewed interest into crafts and what it can mean when integrating new technologies into textiles. This paper proposes to embed craft qualities and sustainable values into designing smart textile projects. Our design iterations QR-Coded Embroidery and Bedtime Stories combine textiles, augmented reality and a storytelling service. Those concepts were inspired by traditional crafts. We use crafts and craftsmanship as an inspiration for designing due to their long sustainable history and the deep qualities they embed. In this article we describe our design rationale with a design critique based on our own reflections and on those of five crafting experts. We point out specific craft qualities identified in the original inspiration the Muhu Skirt and the following two design iterations. We reflect on how craft qualities were incorporated, lost or gained in the transfer between the iterations. In conclusion we reflect on the impact of the used approach to our projects creating the basis for a craftsmanship approach towards the sustainability of smart textile services