5 Ways Rag Rug Weaving Improves Mental Health
Unraveling Stress: The Therapeutic Pathways of Creative Crafting
The first version of this article on slow crafting originally appeared on the PsychCentral blog Crafting to Heal which I wrote in 2019. I’ve updated it with additional information. I’ve added book recommendations and links to additional articles about the psychological and emotional benefits of weaving, as more exist now than when I first wrote this article.
There aren’t many (any?) books out there on how weaving improves mental health. Likewise, you won’t find a lot of books specifically about the mental health benefits of crochet, knitting, embroidery, woodworking, scrapbooking, or any other crafts.
Nevertheless, people are writing inside books about how crafting heals.
It’s subtle. You have to look for it. However, it’s there.
That’s why I often flip through craft books. I don’t just read books to follow patterns or create projects. I read craft books for crafts that I don’t do myself. Within those pages, I find so many examples of people using crafting to heal.
2024 Update: There are an increasing number of books that address the topic specifically, which I love to see. That said, I do continue to find that some of the best information about how craft heals comes from reading between the lines in various craft books that aren’t specific to the topic.
A Book About Rag Rug Weaving
For example, recently I read through some of the pages in “Weaving Western Sakiori” by Amanda Robinette. This is a very specific type of rag rug weaving. In fact, it’s a unique combination of modern Western weaving and ancient Japanese weaving.
The book is filled with rich information about the history of this style of weaving in Japan. Of course, it also has tutorials and projects for learning the skill yourself. But what I found most intriguing was a section called “Why Rag Weaving?”
Reading between the lines, what I find here is a summary of some of the ways weaving improves mental health.
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