ABSTRACT
Stitching refers to a range of textile crafts which involve use of needles, such as sewing, knitting, crochet, tapestry, embroidery or quilting to create clothing, homewares or other objects. Mostly undertaken by women, there have long been stitchers for whom this activity is inherently a spiritual activity. The rhythmic pattern of the work is said to enable mindful practice or a space to meditate on other concerns or contemplation on religious or spiritual texts, and the connections enabled through stitching may be significant. Stitching has traditionally been a way in which women could mould their identities while helping one another or making charitable donations. At the same time, stitching can aid processes of mourning, remembering and resistance. However, there are many women for whom stitching is the antithesis of an activity which they would denote as being spiritual, especially those for whom stitching is a task or chore they are required to undertake. Stitching has become associated with exploitative practices, including poor pay and poor working conditions. In contrast to those who stitch by choice and can exercise agency over what and when they create, those who stitch for a living are subject to timelines and restrictions on what they create, and hence are less likely to experience stitching as a spiritual activity. This paper contributes to the spirituality literature by demonstrating why a generalised delineation of actions per se, as spiritual or not, is problematic.
Introduction
Along with a global pandemic, 2020 saw a resurgence of interest in handcrafts during the days, weeks or even months communities lived in lockdown to reduce the spread of COVID-19. With restaurants and cafes, cinemas and theatres, sporting arenas and fitness centres, shopping centres, places of worship and anywhere else in the community one might go in one’s leisure shut, as well as bans or restrictions on gatherings with family and friends living outside one’s household, many people took up stitching as an activity which could be undertaken within the home (Moss Citation2020; Suri Citation2020; Wood Citation2020).
For the purposes of this paper, stitching refers to a range of textile crafts which involve use of needles, such as sewing, knitting, crochet, tapestry, embroidery, or quilting (Collier Citation2011), to create clothing, homewares or other objects (Bain Citation2016). Working with textiles involves engaging with colour, the properties of different fabrics and threads and the design of the finished object (Riggs Citation2004). As such, the selection of materials and design are as important as the actual stitching (Clarke Citation2020) and inclusive of the definition of stitching adopted for this paper. Predominantly a female activity (Collier Citation2011), stitching is a flexible activity which can be fitted around other demands (Pöllänen and Voutilainen Citation2018). In a study focusing on female textile artists from Ireland,
Many of the textile artists in this study told us that creative expression was something that had to be squeezed into small bits of free time they found in between the demands of their daily lives. For this reason, textiles became the medium of choice, in that they were already sewing in order to make clothes for their children, and it was something that could be done within the home. (Nelson, LaBat and Williams Citation2005, 332)
I was born in the early 1960s and, like many of my contemporaries, much of my childhood wardrobe was comprised of handsewn clothes and handknitted jumpers. With increasing availability and affordability (Bain Citation2016) as an adult, most of my clothes have been purchased. However, in recent years having begun to make my own clothes, I have unintentionally become part of a renewed interest in craftwork in the twenty-first century (Grace and Gandolfo Citation2014). Although taking up stitching may emerge as a nostalgic desire for an earlier era, a form of protest, a means of financial survival (Minahan and Wolfram Cox Citation2007) or associated with environmental or ethical concerns, a rejection of consumer culture and valuing of handmade objects (Grace and Gandolfo Citation2014), for me there is something about stitching as a humanising process and not just the completed artefact that draws me to stitching (Pöllänen and Voutilainen Citation2018). Like others, I have found that stitching provides intrinsic benefits separate from any object I am seeking to create (Foss Citation1996).
As a social worker, my professional life is concerned with connecting people ‘with resources that have nurtured them in the past, or introducing them to fresh sources that will nurture their essential humanity’ (Rumbold Citation2012, 180). Creative activities, including crafts, are considered integral to emerging traditions of spirituality and spiritual care within a holistic model of health, which ultimately seeks to secure both individual and social transformation (Rumbold Citation2012). Hence, my interest in the relationship between stitching and spirituality derives from my concern for practical applications of spirituality rather than a discussion of theoretical concepts. Consequently, my understanding of spirituality concurs with that of Rumbold when he wrote:
… spirituality focuses on the human spirit: spirituality has a complex relationship with religion. Spiritual practices involve both mind and body, expressing personal preferences and seeking control over one’s own life. Individual spirituality focuses on right fit – is it right for me? (Rumbold Citation2012, 181)
Stitching for religious worship is only one way in which a relationship between stitching and spirituality may manifest. A study of 821 women (88 percent from the USA) involved in textile handcrafts found that participants were more likely than not to do craftwork for the ‘Inner spiritual experience’ which was associated with it ‘Like the rhythm or repetition’ and ‘continuity with the past’ (Collier Citation2011, 107). As such, stitching is a mindful practice for some, a theme which will be taken up later in this paper.
For others, the relationship between stitching and spirituality relates more to John Swinton’s (Citation2020, 10) suggestion that ‘spirituality relates to the shattering of false consciousness and the revealing of new ways to see and be with people – ways that take seriously the fullness of the human condition’. For example, in the UK, Anna Fisk (Citation2012, 162) has written ‘I think that knitting may actually have been just as significant for my mental and spiritual health as becoming a Christian and accepting my sexuality’. Fisk touches on the importance of stitching for connectedness and identity but does not elaborate as to how this occurs. Connectedness and identity are common elements found in most understandings of spirituality (Crisp Citation2010) although it is recognised that connectedness and identity are not confined within the bounds of the spiritual. However, for others, the pairing of spirituality and stitching is antithetical. As such, this paper demonstrates why the delineation of an action as either spiritual or not is problematic.
Stitching as spiritual
There are four broad arguments as to why stitching can be associated with spirituality, at least for some individuals. These are that it is a mindful activity which facilitates space for contemplation; that it can be a humanising act; that it builds connections between stitchers and others that may be considered spiritual; and that it contributes to a stitcher’s sense of identity. Each of these will be discussed in turn.
Mindful practice
Stitching is an activity which many women use to take time and space out for themselves and their concerns from the busyness of everyday life (Grace and Gandolfo Citation2014).
In a rapid-paced digital world, stitching is an activity that can act as a form of stress relief (Martindale and McKinney Citation2020) and leave the stitcher feeling at peace (Emanuelsen et al. Citation2020). This time for themselves and for reflection included not only the time actually spent stitching but commenced with consideration of the materials and how they might use them, right through the making and time spent appreciating the finished product. For example, for a group of Finnish mothers who were not engaged in paid work:
Having an activity that had a beginning and an end helped them manage, calm down, and organize their thoughts. Moreover, the data revealed how even simply seeing and handling their raw materials and crafted items helped the participants feel a sense of calm. (Pöllänen and Voutilainen Citation2018, 624)
I had just started working again in the US and every night I would come home and pick up my sunflowers and stitch. It was amazing how noticeably the tension would release and the strain would lessen. I did what I knew; I picked up my needle and thread. Stitch after stitch, piece after piece, I felt the stresses and strains, grief and tears slowly melt away. Stitch by stitch, I felt some mending in my heart as I grieved the loss of a life and place that had been so formative for me. (Lindsey in Clarke Citation2020, 127)
I am not sure why knitting, rather than any other craft, has so engaged me: I suppose because of its rhythmic, meditative nature; the fact that it employs some parts of the brain, but leaves the others free to concentrate on other things; the usefulness and enjoyableness of its products (clothes!), and that it can be simultaneously original and part of a long tradition. (Fisk Citation2012, 161–162)
Humanising practice
Protest movements have long utilised craft activities (Minahan and Wolfram Cox Citation2007). For example, in the years before the First World War, English suffragettes used embroidery during their imprisonment as a method to document their prison experiences and share these with their supporters. In contrast with the plain sewing or knitting they were required to undertake as part of their sentence, their embroidery provided an opportunity for subversion. Moreover, as the objects embroidered were often those associated with bodily excretions such as handkerchiefs and underwear, it bore witness to the conditions of the inhumane which they were enduring (Jones Citation2020). Stitching as a form of resistance continues to this day and women have used stitching to express their outrage at the dehumanisation of marginalised groups including women, racial minorities and anyone who dared to voice an alternative opinion (Moreshead and Salter Citation2022).
In addition to being an accessible method to respond to particular instances of dehumanisation, stitching can be an act of resistance more generally against a neoliberal worldview. In a world in which machines can rapidly produce textile products which take much longer to produce by hand (Thompson Citation2022), individuals may choose to stitch rather than purchase ready-made goods (Carlin Citation2015; Minahan and Wolfram Cox Citation2007). This also provides an opportunity for stitchers to enact their desire for quality objects and sustainability. For example, the Finnish women crafters introduced previously,
… expressed their creativity and values through the raw materials they used to make things. The material also served as their source of inspiration. They derived pleasure from seeing and handling the materials and thinking of new ways to use them. They preferred long-lasting materials and believed that there was no point in making something if the materials are not of a good quality. The materials they used were thus a reflection of their belief in sustainability and of the legacy they would like to leave of themselves. Consequently, the materials and crafted items reflected the makers’ inner feelings and values … (Pöllänen and Voutilainen Citation2018, 623)
Source of connection
Stitching is a tactile experience in which both the act and completed artefact can be a reminder of people, places and things (Brubacher et al. Citation2021). In particular, as a process of mourning and remembering, stitching provides evidence of the lives of earlier generations (Fisk Citation2019). For example, it has been proposed that:
Some of the strategies implemented by Native Americans to cope with loss are materially rendered through objects that can be said to literally ‘weave’ together the healing power of history and memory with cultural meanings, symbolized by customary techniques such as beading, embroidering, and ribbon work, that simultaneously convey the pressing need to be heard and to be intelligible through expression of commonly shared visual languages. (Carocci Citation2010, 71–72)
The work of stitchers can also build connectedness among others. A Melbourne woman, Jan Newell, who has made funeral palls for her local parish has explained this as follows:
I’ve done various textile pieces for the local parish I’m involved in and I’ve made three parish funeral palls. I feel that this is a small way of nurturing the person that has died and their families too. At the funeral the family drapes the coffin with the pall, metaphorically ‘wrapping’ the deceased in something beautiful that is a symbol of hope and new life. (Jan Newell in Gandolfo and Grace Citation2009, 60)
My knitting has been a sustaining comfort and distraction during particularly difficult times, and more than anything it gives me a general sense of purpose; a structure to my life that might otherwise have been lacking. I always have something to do that I enjoy, something that keeps me engaged, and because I used not to enjoy anything much at all, that is very valuable. Being someone who makes material things has made me more attuned than I was to the beauty of the world, and more able to value beauty for its own sake. Knitting has helped me to become at home in the world, when depression made me want to leave the world … (Fisk Citation2012, 162, original emphasis)
… to put pieces in the public domain. It was a difficult thing for me to do, because I always feel that my stuff isn’t good enough. I always see the parts where I’ve made a mistake, or where it is not as I ‘saw’ it in my mind’s eye. I have learned to say to myself, well it’s not perfect but it has some value. To let other people see my work has been good for me. I am always learning about myself in the process of making. (Jan Newell in Gandolfo and Grace Citation2009, 60)
During beading and embroidering sessions, people share stories, songs, laughter, gossip, and news that cement solidarity between the attendees. This is part and parcel of a restorative process in which harmonious work generates inner and outer balance between individuals and community as well as within oneself. (Carocci Citation2010, 81)
Stitching has long been a way in which women could help one another, not only within, but also beyond, their immediate circles (Marr Citation1999). Some craft groups use their skills to create objects which they donate to local charities to sell as part of their fundraising or provide items of comfort to the sick which are not readily available to be purchased (Maidment and Macfarlane Citation2009). For those who have time and skills but little or no money, craft provides the opportunities to donate to charitable causes (Maidment and Macfarlane Citation2011) and be an expression of their spirituality (Marr Citation1999).
Furthermore, it has been proposed that those who put care into making material objects are those who show care for others (Miller Citation2008). Gifts of handmade objects can symbolise love and the maker is often thinking about the intended recipient during the making process (Thompson Citation2022). Similarly, gifts, especially those which have been made specifically for the recipient, are often cherished by those who receive them (Johnson and Wilson Citation2005) and encourage the maker to continue their work. As one elderly respondent in a study about spirituality and health of older Thai Persons in the United States commented:
My hobby is sewing and I can still do it. Many people appreciate my work so I plan to continue it as long as I can. It makes me not feel lonely and uses up much free time. I keep sewing and volunteering as it is helpful for the brain, mind and society too. It is important to stay active. (Elderly Thai informant in Pincharoen and Congdon Citation2003, 103)
Identity
Through the creation of objects, either for themselves or others, stitchers not only strengthen their connections but also mould their identities. For example, the Finnish women crafters ‘believed that their handmade items conveyed meanings, memories, and thoughts as well as something unique about their creator, almost like fingerprints’ (Pöllänen and Voutilainen Citation2018, 622). Moreover, these were the fingerprints of their own constructed identity (Martindale and McKinney Citation2020), not one foisted upon them by outsiders. This may be especially important for those who are not able to achieve in other domains which provide a sense of status such as work or education (Fisk Citation2019). For example, one of the 15 Melbourne women crafters interviewed by Gandolfo and Grace stated:
I hate being known as ‘Vicki, the sick person’. I don’t like that at all. That’s probably why craft has taken such a big role, because it does give me an identity away from being sick. It’s not something that’s not sick, not hospital, it’s not medical. It means I can live a normal life within the limitations of the illness. (Vicki Cameron in Gandolfo and Grace Citation2009, 44)
Their self-chosen leisure activity highlighted the importance of planning and thought, because crafting required them to organize their time and was a continuous process of designing and making. Thus, the concrete act of making and the time they got to think in peace enabled the participants to see things in a different way or set larger goals for their lives. (Pöllänen and Voutilainen Citation2018, 625)
Not only can the stitcher shape the identity of those who wear or display their wares, but among fellow stitchers, the usual social hierarchies of the world may, at least momentarily, cease to exist as Sonja Foss, an American woman who has sewn for most of her life has observed:
In the fabric store, women enter into conversations with one another, learning from one another and appreciating one another’s ideas. The hierarchical distinctions of patriarchy on the basis of class, status, age, and taste dissolve as women share their knowledge with others and ignore the boundaries that might separate them in a patriarchal world. (Foss Citation1996, 64)
Stitching – antithesis to spirituality
While this paper has so far sought to advance an argument that stitching can be a spiritual activity for some, there are many others for whom stitching and spirituality would be antithetical. In literature, while stitching has at times been associated with prayer and being virtuous, there are also instances of it being identified with immorality (Hoffman Citation2006). As Naomi Clarke concluded from her online study which included 78 women aged 40 and under from a range of countries, all of whom sew:
We must be wary of romanticizing women and sewing, as sewing has been both cheapened and celebrated; it has been a tool for oppression and subjugation as well as a tool for freedom and autonomy; it has been a career and a leisure activity; it has been a necessity for those of a lower socioeconomic status as well as an extravagance for those of a higher socio-economic status who could afford the time to engage in leisure activities. Needlework, textiles, and women thus have a complex and multifaceted relationship and it is clear that the needle and cloth have pierced and pieced, not just our society, but humanity as a whole both economically, politically, socially and culturally. (Clarke Citation2020, 138)
Similarly, it is necessary not to romanticise stitching which brought people together outside the home. For many women not employed outside the home, stitching circles associated with religious groups were something they often felt compelled to join, and would do so even if they did not enjoy stitching (Marr Citation1999). While the outputs of some sewing circles were provided to those in need as charitable gifts (Marr Citation1999), others created objects that missionaries could use to bribe community members to attend church (Schmidt Citation2011).
Stitching has been promoted as a skill for economic advancement for women who were poor or deprived of formal education (Markkola Citation2011; Wuri Astuti, Hirst and Bharj Citation2020) or as a domestic skill for rehabilitating ‘fallen women’ (Markkola Citation2011). However, as a form of employment, stitching has become associated with exploitative practices, including poor pay and poor working conditions, to produce clothing at low cost for mass consumption (Hall and Jayne Citation2016). In particular:
It appears that while crafts such as stitching and embroidery may be a positive and social occupation for many, there are still far too many women around the world who are required to work at these tasks for poor pay rates and in difficult conditions. The ‘digital divide’ is very real for these women, and they are firmly placed on its ‘have not’ side. They live in a world of very basic and inadequate technology and where there is no nostalgia for craft – it is a reality that brings income to the household. And even in more affluent circumstances, knitting may not signify nostalgia. (Minahan and Wolfram Cox Citation2007, 15)
Discussion
This paper has identified four key arguments as to why stitching is regarded as spiritual by some people. However, it is possible that further research could identify additional connections between stitching and spirituality. At the same time, there are others who experience stitching as antithetical to spirituality as well as those for whom stitching is a chosen form of physical therapy (Collier Citation2011; Fisk Citation2017) and for whom this activity is spiritually neutral.
The question of whether stitching can be either spiritual or not spiritual, depending on the context, illustrates the conundrum often encountered by twenty-first-century scholars of spirituality. Some activities, such as attending religious worship, praying or participating in an action sanctioned by religious leaders or religious teachings, are generally considered to be spiritual (Daughtry, Macaitis and Zweck Citation2022). However, many of the activities of daily life which individuals perceive to be spiritual are outside traditional understandings of religion or spirituality (Savage et al. Citation2006). Consequently, there is a growing understanding that spirituality is concerned with the activities of daily life and the meanings people ascribe to these (Fisk Citation2017). Hence, rather than rigid distinctions between spiritual and non-spiritual, the borders of each may be flexible or permeable (Day, Vincett, and Cotter Citation2013). This results in spirituality increasingly being understood as associated with individuals and their lived experiences rather than something which is fixed and the same for all (Beaman and Beyer Citation2013).
This permeability is reflected in the adoption of stitching terms in religious and spiritual language. Just as walking the labyrinth can be an allegory for embarking on a spiritual journey (Daughtry, Macaitis and Zweck Citation2022), so, too, stitching can be an allegory for the spiritual life. Indeed, irrespective of whether one considers the act of stitching to be a spiritual activity, the spiritual quest involves lives that are ‘woven’ (Chopp Citation1995, 3) or created from a myriad of scrap materials quilted together, and which are not purely decorative but have purpose. Threads are intertwined as part of the crafting of an evolving life (Chopp Citation1995). Nevertheless, for an activity so integral to the lives of women for centuries, there is surprisingly little written about stitching as a potentially spiritual act.
Like others who have written about the benefits which can be accrued from stitching (Fisk Citation2012; Foss Citation1996), I. too. am someone who stitches, and identifies as such. Many of the positive experiences of stitching which I have uncovered in the scholarly literature reflect my own experiences and those of other stitchers I know. Yet, like many stitchers, my world consists of many people I know for whom stitching is something to be avoided as much as possible and for whom imagining any connection between stitching and spirituality is difficult, if not impossible.
At one level it is remarkable that for an activity which has been integral to women’s lives for centuries, scholarship concerning stitching and spirituality is limited (Clarke Citation2020: Fisk Citation2012), and more likely to be an ad hoc finding than the subject of investigation. Searches of the contents of two key scholarly journals in the field of spirituality, Journal for the Study of Spirituality and Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality, found no articles in which the focus is stitching. Nor did expanding the search to crafts more generally lead to an increase in the number of articles found in these journals on these issues. However, as stitching has often been viewed as an activity that has been associated with limiting women from achieving their potential (Bain Citation2016), a lack of scholarship concerning the benefits accrued from stitching is understandable. Nevertheless, the limited findings presented in this paper suggest that further research exploring the relationship between stitching and spirituality is warranted.
This paper raises questions as to how spirituality and spiritual care are understood and enacted, especially in an era when increasing spiritual care is accompanied with increasing the number of staff employed to provide spiritual care (Tan et al. Citation2020). Undoubtedly, there will always be people for whom stitching is a chore, practical task or form of physical therapy. However, understanding how crafts, such as stitching, can be a means for exploring and expressing spirituality may well be a useful addition to the repertoire of methods used to provide spiritual support and/or encourage spiritual growth (Lepherd et al. Citation2020). As to recognising when stitching is an important aspect of spirituality for particular individuals and how to foster this, it is not something this paper can readily answer. However, these are important questions which it is recommended that future research should address.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Beth R. Crisp
Beth Crisp is Professor of Social Work and Deputy Head of the School of Health and Social Development at Deakin University in Australia. Her books include Re-imagining Religion and Belief for twenty-first Century Policy and Practice and The Routledge Handbook of Religion, Spirituality and Social Work. Outside work, Beth’s creative endeavours include being a sewist and reading novels.
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