Stitching: Spiritual or not?

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.

KEYWORDS:

• Craft
• sewing
• spirituality
• stitching
• textiles
• creativity

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 2020; Suri 2020; Wood 2020).

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 2011), to create clothing, homewares or other objects (Bain 2016). Working with textiles involves engaging with colour, the properties of different fabrics and threads and the design of the finished object (Riggs 2004). As such, the selection of materials and design are as important as the actual stitching (Clarke 2020) and inclusive of the definition of stitching adopted for this paper. Predominantly a female activity (Collier 2011), stitching is a flexible activity which can be fitted around other demands (Pöllänen and Voutilainen 2018). 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 2005, 332)

While textile work has often been considered a necessity, it is for some practitioners an art form (Nelson, LaBat, and Williams 2005), a source of positive energy (Pöllänen and Voutilainen 2018), an outlet for creativity and skill (Marr 1999) or a nonverbal form of communication.

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 2016) 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 2014). 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 2007) or associated with environmental or ethical concerns, a rejection of consumer culture and valuing of handmade objects (Grace and Gandolfo 2014), 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 2018). Like others, I have found that stitching provides intrinsic benefits separate from any object I am seeking to create (Foss 1996).

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 2012, 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 2012). 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 2012, 181)

Women who stitch objects utilised in worship have been recognised for millennia for their contribution to the religious life of their community (Johnson and Wilson 2005) and it is therefore unsurprising that museum holdings related to religion will often include textiles (Gold 2015). For some stitchers, the symbolism of sewing for the worship space may be something they consider to be a spiritual act of devotion (Marcus 2001), particularly if stitching moves beyond mere functionality to create objects which enhance the spiritual experience (Weissler 2007). Not only may each finished object tell a story but there may be symbolic meaning for each action and technique used in its creation (Calin 2019). However, there may also be stitchers for whom undertaking stitching for a place of worship is perceived as a practical act of voluntary service and not associated with their spirituality.

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 2011, 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 (2020, 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 (2012, 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 2010) 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 2014).

In a rapid-paced digital world, stitching is an activity that can act as a form of stress relief (Martindale and McKinney 2020) and leave the stitcher feeling at peace (Emanuelsen et al. 2020). 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 2018, 624)

While stitching can be a generalised approach to centring oneself, for others it may be an approach they adopt to dealing with a specific situation. For example, Lindsay, who had recently returned to the USA after working as a missionary in Malawi, commented:

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 2020, 127)

While there have been feminist discourses which have ‘condemned craft work as a time wasting, dumbing down of women’, a high level of skill and concentration is required to reach a degree of expertise (Grace and Gandolfo 2014, 60). This concentration on the process can encourage mindfulness (Clarke 2020). Conversely, a skilled stitcher may use the time spent sewing to focus or reflect on other concerns. As Anna Fisk, who was introduced earlier in this paper, has noted:

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 2012, 161–162)

For some, stitching may provide the space for contemplation of religious or spiritual texts (Long 2016). For example, in Japan there are groups which meet for meditation followed by the sewing of robes associated with Buddhist practice, with some people believing that the dedication of faith involved in making handmade robes produces something superior to commercially manufactured robes produced in mass quantities (Riggs 2004).

Humanising practice

Protest movements have long utilised craft activities (Minahan and Wolfram Cox 2007). 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 2020). 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 2022).

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 2022), individuals may choose to stitch rather than purchase ready-made goods (Carlin 2015; Minahan and Wolfram Cox 2007). 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 2018, 623)

Moreover, stitching has also been identified by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as a way in which some refugees can restore dignity to their lives by providing a means of income generation. However, without a supportive infrastructure which brokers a market which will pay a living wage to the creators of handcrafts, this humanising potential can readily be thwarted (Maynard and Suter 2009).

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. 2021). In particular, as a process of mourning and remembering, stitching provides evidence of the lives of earlier generations (Fisk 2019). 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 2010, 71–72)

Quilting is another method which connects people to their past. It is not uncommon for quilts to include pieces of fabric which are associated with a particular individual or event (Yang 2021). Memorial quilts made from the clothes of someone who has died can ‘provide protection, comfort, strength, and solace’ for those who are grieving (Collins 2015, 348). Quilts made by, or memorialising, family members often become family treasures handed down from one family member to another (Yang 2021).

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 2009, 60)

For those feeling disconnected from the wider world, stitching can foster a sense of connection beyond the self. As Anna Fisk has reflected:

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 2012, 162, original emphasis)

As such, stitching can also lead the stitcher to become more accepting of both their limitations and abilities. This was certainly Jan Newell’s experience:

… 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 2009, 60)

While stitching can be a solitary act or undertaken only within the household, craft circles have traditionally provided a reason for groups of women to socialise. As women stitch together, they connect and share skills (Riggs 2004) and resources (Moseley 2001), as well as finding encouragement and support, not only for their creative efforts but for who they are in themselves (Bain 2016). For example, quilting for black African American women was historically a group activity which built sisterhood among women, while being a form of expression of their creativity that was not suppressed (Yang 2021). Similarly, among First Nations North Americans:

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 2010, 81)

It is thus not surprising that it has been claimed that ‘craft groups are fulfilling the social needs that are also met by religious communities’ (Fisk 2017, 136). Stitching circles are often linked by a common factor, such as religion, ethnicity or political viewpoints (Bratich and Brush 2011). Such groups not only help form bonds with each other and with the elders in a community, but an opportunity to learn and pass on specific knowledge and the traditions of their community (Brubacher et al. 2021). Stitching circles have also enabled religious women to share their faith with other women with sewing as a common interest (Schmidt 2011).

Stitching has long been a way in which women could help one another, not only within, but also beyond, their immediate circles (Marr 1999). 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 2009). For those who have time and skills but little or no money, craft provides the opportunities to donate to charitable causes (Maidment and Macfarlane 2011) and be an expression of their spirituality (Marr 1999).

Furthermore, it has been proposed that those who put care into making material objects are those who show care for others (Miller 2008). Gifts of handmade objects can symbolise love and the maker is often thinking about the intended recipient during the making process (Thompson 2022). Similarly, gifts, especially those which have been made specifically for the recipient, are often cherished by those who receive them (Johnson and Wilson 2005) 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 2003, 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 2018, 622). Moreover, these were the fingerprints of their own constructed identity (Martindale and McKinney 2020), 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 2019). 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 2009, 44)

As such, stitching can also function as a domain in which individuals ‘experience autonomy and control’ (Clarke 2020, 135), and it can be an act of meaning-making (Fisk 2012) as it was for the Finnish women crafters:

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 2018, 625)

This is particularly so for stitchers who make their own clothes in an era in which ready-to-wear garments can be purchased relatively cheaply. Notwithstanding pragmatic considerations of having clothes that fit properly (Martindale and McKinney 2020), making one’s own clothes can enable expression of a unique or desired identity (Bain 2016; Clarke 2020) and/or their relationships to people and traditions (Pöllänen and Voutilainen 2018). Being able to sew can enable acquisition of clothes which one cannot afford to purchase and in some instances can make the wearer appear to transcend limited financial means by wearing copies of the top fashion houses. As such, sewing provided a means by which women could transform how they present (Moseley 2001) but whether this has spiritual consequences requires further research.

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 1996, 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 2006). 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 2020, 138)

There is a considerable difference between people who choose to sew and those for whom sewing is a task or chore they are required to undertake (Bain 2016; Thompson 2022). Historically, stitching was associated with thrift and being seen to be a good mother (Hall and Jayne 2016). Women often made their own clothes, as well as clothes for other family members, as it was the only way they could have affordable clothing. As the cost has reduced considerably (Gordon 2004), I regularly have discussions with women aged in their 70s and older who have told me that as young women they used to make all their own clothes, but now enjoy the option of purchasing ready to wear garments.

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 1999). While the outputs of some sewing circles were provided to those in need as charitable gifts (Marr 1999), others created objects that missionaries could use to bribe community members to attend church (Schmidt 2011).

Stitching has been promoted as a skill for economic advancement for women who were poor or deprived of formal education (Markkola 2011; Wuri Astuti, Hirst and Bharj 2020) or as a domestic skill for rehabilitating ‘fallen women’ (Markkola 2011). 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 2016). 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 2007, 15)

Unlike those who stitch for pleasure 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 (Emanuelsen et al. 2020). That stitching, whether paid or unpaid, is considered work by many no doubt accounts for it being prohibited on religious holidays in some religious groups (Calin 2019).

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 2011; Fisk 2017) 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 2022). 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. 2006). Consequently, there is a growing understanding that spirituality is concerned with the activities of daily life and the meanings people ascribe to these (Fisk 2017). Hence, rather than rigid distinctions between spiritual and non-spiritual, the borders of each may be flexible or permeable (Day, Vincett, and Cotter 2013). 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 2013).

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 2022), 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 1995, 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 1995). 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 2012; Foss 1996), 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 2020: Fisk 2012), 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 2016), 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. 2020). 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. 2020). 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.

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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.