CRAFTERS in Westbury used extra time in lockdown for more making, and the pastime proved a “blessing” to those left home alone.
Before the Coronavirus pandemic a group met on Wednesdays – called ‘Woolly Wednesdays’ – in Fairfield farm café.
They knitted and crocheted and were the instigators of the farm’s yarn bombing events. Recently they restarted socially distanced meetings in a member’s garden.
Local maker, Sharon Jones, said “[It has] been a blessing for those who have been alone at home.”
Sharon has been taking part in a Bristol University student’s PHD project recording her work during the virus.
“Naomi is studying how crafting helps people mentally, as a distraction from their problems, a relief concentrating on something else focuses your mind on something positive,” Sharon told White Horse News.
“It can be a solitary occupation or a social one.
“Even if working from home throughout, friends I know have found no journey to work has given them extra time at home to start a project.”
Sharon noticed men had been doing gardening and makes on a larger scale, like new patios and a friend with a model railway business reported sales had rapidly increased.
“Los of people made scrubs and scrub hats, laundry bags and face masks,” Sharon said. “I did some of this myself – it felt like you were helping in a small way to combat this terrible thing that was happening.
“At the beginning I said it was like we were living in a disaster movie but it was real.”
Sharon said she has also been working through the year-old pile on her sewing table. The local Westbury wool shops helped out and now have mask trees for people who want reusable masks.
The Woollery on Warminster Road noticed that lots of people have either returned to or taken up new crafts during the pandemic.
The owner, Vanessa said, “There is a lot of research that supports the therapeutic nature of creative crafts and how they can help to alleviate anxiety, stress, depression and they can even help with chronic pain relief.
“During lockdown we got our sewing machine out for the first time in many years and sewed dozens of laundry bags for the RUH and have so far made about 250 facemasks for the community mask tree, which is still available Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 2pm.
“We also used some of our unexpected free time during lockdown to get to grips with our mountain of unfinished projects… our mum has two new cardigans, we have new socks and cushions and a friend of ours has a knitted Loch Ness monster! We’re also slowly working our way through a bedspread…”
The Woollery hopes its creative workshops will be returning this autumn, but in the meantime it is offering one-to-one sessions to anyone who would like to learn to knit or who wants some help with an existing project.
It can offer personal shopping appointments and free home delivery is still available in the local area.
There are always lots of charities looking for hand-crafted items and The Woollery can donate yarn for charitable projects.
