Time emerged as an important influence within the group's discussions about recovery. It appeared in many different ways: in long waits for support, the limited number of therapy sessions available, and in expectations that recovery should move towards a particular destination or point of being ‘better’. The frustration of not getting better within expected timescales was something that resonated across the group.

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Thread and stitchwork offered a different way to explore these experiences. Sewing itself required time, patience, focus and attention. As hands remained occupied with making, conversation moved through the group — in fact, this workshop generated more dialogue than any of the other creative sessions. This raised questions about what the activity itself was making possible: whether working alongside one another, without the expectation of constant eye contact, created different conditions for talking, listening and sharing.

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The experience also opened wider questions about what counts as useful time in recovery. Was time spent making and ‘playing with art’ indulgent or wasted — or could having time, an appropriate space, creative materials and a community of other survivors create possibilities for recovery that more conventional approaches might not?