Uncommon Threads: Motivations of Men Who Quilt

Textile-based leisure activities like quilting are typically associated with women, and men who sew are often stigmatized. The purpose of this research was to examine the psychological needs motivating men to make quilts despite this potential for stigmatization and to offer practical suggestions for normalizing men's participation. Through 15 oral history interviews with men who quilt, four major themes (personal empowerment and well-being, proficiency and resourcefulness, social supports, and social stigma) and 12 subthemes were developed utilizing Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Through the lens of Self-Determination Theory, the narrators’ motivating factors aligned with the fulfillment of the three basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), and although social stigma was evident, the narrators’ social contexts supported fulfillment of these needs. This study contributes to expanding an understudied area of quiltmakers’ lived experiences, advances understanding of gender atypical participation in textile-based leisure activities, and offers suggestions to academia and the quiltmaking industry.