How to Mend a Sock

This tool was developed as part of Cultural Cwtsh, which was an online creative wellbeing hub for the health and care workforce in Wales, created by the Arts Council of Wales in collaboration with artists across the country.

In partnership with the Arts Council of Wales, we’re excited to share this mental wellbeing tool, alongside with many other creative resources, with everyone in Wales!

Angela Maddock is a textile artist who also works in arts in health. In the summer of 2019, she began a postal art repair project ‘In Kind’.

This project encouraged people to send damaged or worn thread made items to Angela for repair. In exchange, she asked participants to share stories of connection to show how objects act as continuing bonds between loved ones.

In Kind was shared on her instagram account. Many of the repairs were knit based and included socks, sweaters and cardigans.

She continues this work for this project How to Mend a Sock, a film made with the photographer and film maker Dafydd Williams, which focuses on the slow and gentle process of darning, and where she repairs socks made by Corgi the Welsh sock manufacturer in her studio in Swansea.

Download How to Mend a Sock by Angela Maddock (PDF).

Equipment needed

• Darning needle
• Some yarn
• Darning mushroom