On Demand: THREAD TALKS: Catherine Howard: Therapeutic Stitch

“I feel like a prisoner in my mind when I have my worries. It all weighs me down.”

The words of an 11 year old boy expressing his experience, for the first time, to a group of his peers as we planned how to raise awareness of poor mental health in his school just as the pandemic closures came to an end.

The talk explores the projects made in a range of schools, sharing the stitched work and the stories behind them. Highlighting the potential for achievement with simple materials and simple techniques and how we can encourage schools and pupils to be involved.

The haptic qualities of the cloth and the thread, the visual and aesthetic impact of colour and stitch, the freedom to express thoughts and feelings, all come together in the pride of achievement and the approval of others.

The recording is not downloadable but will be available for viewing for at least one month after registration.

Catherine Howard came to textile art after a long time as a hobbyist and collector of unfinished projects. Looking retirement in the eye she decided to learn about textiles, and having no qualifications or formal education in the field began by taking A level with the pupils at her school. In ten years she has progressed to doing her doctorate about creativity and wellbeing, and has had some moderate success with exhibiting and selling her own work.

Catherine’s biggest achievement has been the field work for the doctorate, seeing in real life the impact that participatory hand stitch projects could have with teenaged boys and girls who have already struggled with their mental health.

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