Authors: Annette Foley, Helen Weadon, Sharon McDonough and Rachel Taylor
Federation University

Edition: Volume 62, Number 1, April 2022

Introduction: Crafting has occupied the hands and minds of women over many centuries providing vital connections with cultural skills and with community. While the COVID-19 pandemic has isolated women in their homes, it has also provided opportunities for women to reconnect to crafting through virtual spaces. This paper draws on a thematic analysis of a focus group interview examining the experiences of regional women participating in a crafting group and identifies the ways in which they used craft to support their wellbeing. Drawing on the concept of therapeutic landscapes, the paper highlights that connection in a virtual craft group supports lifelong learning and wellbeing, brings women together in support through a community of women’s practice and facilitates opportunities for producing meaningful and commemorative quilting projects This finding has implications for a society experiencing unprecedented levels of stress, mental illness and anxiety about the future.

Keywords: crafting, therapeutic landscapes, women, COVID-19, virtual spaces, lifelong learning, wellbeing

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 62:1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.