Resilient Stitch: Wellbeing and Connection in Textile Art

Following on from her textile hit Slow Stitch, author Claire Wellesley-Smith considers the importance of connection and ideas around wellbeing when using textiles for individuals and communities.

Resilient Stitch covers practical ideas around "thinking-through-making," using resonant materials, and extending the life of pieces using traditional and nontraditional methods. Contemporary textile artists using these themes in their work are featured alongside personal work from Claire and examples from community-based textile projects. Resilient fabrics that can be manipulated, stressed, withstand tension, and be made anew are recommended throughout the book, as well as techniques such as layering, patching, reinforcing, re-stitching, and mending. It also provides ideas for the inclusion of everyday materials in your work.

Claire Wellesley-Smith is a textile artist living and working in Yorkshire, UK. She teaches extensively, working in adult education, schools, community-based projects, museums, and galleries. Her workshops involve sustainable stitch, repurposed cloth, and traditional techniques.