Touch Craft exists to advance education and participation in the visual arts through creative making, material exploration, textiles, repair practices, and design. Through workshops, collaborative projects, and creative learning programmes, it provides opportunities for people to develop practical skills, build confidence, share knowledge, and engage with materials in meaningful and imaginative ways.
We benefit the community by promoting lifelong learning, wellbeing, environmental sustainability, and creative participation. Our work uses artistic practice and hands-on making to support people in exploring repair, reuse, and more responsible approaches to textiles, clothing, and everyday materials.
By bringing together craft knowledge, contemporary design, and participatory approaches, Touch Craft creates inclusive spaces where people can learn, connect, and contribute. Through community-led workshops, repair initiatives, and artistic projects, we aim to strengthen community connections, encourage sustainable practices, and support more resilient relationships between people, materials, and the environment.
Selected Projects & Funding
VOICE – Valorising Artist-led Innovation through Citizen Engagement (2024–25)
Supported through the VOICE programme, this project brings artists together with communities to co-create green and digital solutions that respond to local challenges.
E-Stitches Collective (2024–present)
A collaboration with Sara Robertson and Emma Wright exploring new directions in e-textiles, soft systems, and wearable technologies that benefit people, society, and the environment.
Smart Sock Feasibility Study (2021–22)
Funded through EPIC eHealth & Productivity and Innovation in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to explore innovative approaches to wearable health technologies.
Repair Generations (2021–22)
A community initiative bringing together designers, makers, and menders to deliver clothing repair workshops that encourage practical skills, reduce textile waste, and strengthen community connections. Supported through the Cornwall Climate Challenge crowdfunding programme, with Sara Clasper and Sarah Perry.
Touchcraft (2018)
Supported through WEAR Sustain, part of the EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, exploring new approaches to interactive textiles and embodied making.
Community Impact
Our work uses creativity, repair, and participatory making to strengthen communities, improve wellbeing, and encourage more sustainable approaches to textiles and clothing.
Recent community impact includes:
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Delivered eight creative repair workshops in rural Cornwall, supporting older adults experiencing social isolation by providing opportunities to connect, learn practical skills, and participate in creative making.
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Through the Repair Generations project, facilitated ten community repair sessions that introduced participants to clothing repair, reuse, and visible mending, helping people develop confidence and practical skills while encouraging more sustainable relationships with textiles.
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Collaborated with local Repair Cafés to build the confidence and skills of volunteers, enabling them to lead repair activities and expand opportunities for community learning and participation.
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Created inclusive learning environments where participants could share knowledge, build confidence, and develop creative approaches to repair, contributing to stronger community connections and environmental awareness.
Across all projects, our aim is to use design, creativity, and repair as tools for improving wellbeing, reducing textile waste, sharing practical skills, and supporting more resilient and connected communities.
lucie f hernandez (at) gmail dot com