Clare Hunter

En la Argentina de los años 1970, las madres marchaban con pañuelos en la cabeza bordados con los nombres de sus hijos “desaparecidos". En Tudor, Inglaterra, cuando María, reina de Escocia, estaba ba

Clare Hunter is out to reclaim the joy of making for the masses no act of creativity is too humble too ephemeral for this hymn to the sensory wonder and connectivity of the homemade OBSERVER In an era of screens and machines what a joy it is to read Clare Hunter s inspiring new book which summons up the creative delights of making wonderment with our own hands Justine Picardie author of Miss Dior Making Matters celebrates the joy of the handmade in all of its wonderful variety In a fast paced world it is a timely and beautiful exploration of making traditions I loved it Kate Strasdin author of The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes As children we made things snowmen paper boats eccentrically costumed plays That making fired our minds and imaginations it altered our small worlds and shaped who we became But as adults it is hard to find to find the space for creativity and to remember its power Exploring craft traditions and forms of making from across centuries and cultures Clare Hunter encourages to engage with the world afresh To use our hands again to see beauty in unexpected places to play and protest and embrace imaginative possibilities From paper crafts to wonders made from light and snow she searches for creative delight maki

**SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER** **RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK** An astonishing featChristina Patterson, Sunday TimesAn inspiring and moving sideways look at historyEithne Farry, Sunday ExpressAn eloquent blend of history and memoir, Threads of Life is an evocative and moving book about the need we all have to tell our story.From political propaganda in medieval France to secret treason in Tudor England, from the mothers of the desaparecidos in Argentina to First World War soldiers with PTSD, from a POW camp in Singapore to a family attic in Scotland, Threads of Life is a global chronicle of identity, protest, memory and politics. Banner-maker, community textile artist and textile curator Clare Hunter chronicles the stories of the men and women, over centuries and across continents, who have used the language of sewing to make their voices heard, even in the most desperate of circumstances.A beautifully considered book... Clare Hunter has managed to mix the personal with the political with moving results.TRACY CHEVALIER

A brilliant achievementSCOTSMANA charmed feat of imagination and learningHILARY MANTELIn sixteenth-century Europe womens voices were suppressed and silenced., and despite her royal position Mary, Queen of Scots was no exception. But, in an age when textiles expressed power, Mary exploited them to emphasise her female agency. From her lavishly embroidered gowns as the prospective wife of the French Dauphin to the fashion dolls she used to encourage a Marian style at the Scottish court and the subversive messages she embroidered in captivity for her supporters, Mary used textiles to advance her political agenda, affirm her royal lineage and tell her own story.In this eloquent cultural biography, Clare Hunter exquisitely blends history, politics and memoir to tell the story of a queen in her own voice.

A celebration of the overlooked artistry in crafts practised across the worldTHE TIMESClare Hunter is out to reclaim the joy of making for the masses... no act of creativity is too humble, too ephemeral, for this hymn to the sensory wonder and connectivity of the homemadeOBSERVERMaking Matters is an open door to the power of craft. Now inspired, Im off to get creativeDAILY EXPRESSAs children, we made things: snowmen, paper boats, eccentrically costumed plays. That making fired our minds and imaginations - it altered our small worlds and shaped who we became. But as adults, it is hard to find to find the space for creativity and to remember its power.Exploring craft traditions and forms of making from across centuries and cultures, Clare Hunter encourages to engage with the world afresh. To use our hands again, to see beauty in unexpected places, to play and protest and embrace imaginative possibilities. From paper crafts to wonders made from light and snow, she searches for creative delight - making lanterns, puppets and pinhole cameras.Inspiring and fascinating, Making Matters celebrates individual and collective creativity. It blends history, culture and politics with rich storytelling, wonderful characters and tales of remarkable objects. Read this, and then make something.In an era of screens and machines, what a joy it is to read Clare Hunters inspiring new book, which summons up the creative delights of making wonderment with our own handsJustine Picardie, author of Miss DiorMaking Matters celebrates the joy of the handmade in all of its wonderful variety. In a fast paced world, it is a timely and beautiful exploration of making traditions. I loved it!Kate Strasdin, author of The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes

SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK WATERSTONES SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE MONTH An astonishing feat Christina Patterson Sunday Times An inspiring and moving sideways look at history Eithne Farry Sunday Express An eloquent blend of history and memoir Threads of Life is an evocative and moving book about the need we all have to tell our story From political propaganda in medieval France to secret treason in Tudor England from the mothers of the desaparecidos in Argentina to First World War soldiers with PTSD from a POW camp in Singapore to a family attic in Scotland Threads of Life is a global chronicle of identity protest memory and politics Banner maker community textile artist and textile curator Clare Hunter chronicles the stories of the men and women over centuries and across continents who have used the language of sewing to make their voices heard even in the most desperate of circumstances A beautifully considered book Clare Hunter has managed to mix the personal with the political with moving results TRACY CHEVALIER

Una historia mundial de la costura, el bordado y las personas que han utilizado aguja e hilo para hacer oír su voz. En la Argentina de la década de 1970, las madres marchaban con pañuelos en la cabeza bordados con los nombres de sus hijos desaparecidos. En la Inglaterra de los Tudor, cuando Maria, reina de Escocia, estaba bajo arresto domiciliario, sus bordados llevaban mensajes al mundo exterior. Desde la propaganda politica del tapiz de Bayeux, los soldados de la Primera Guerra Mundial lidiando con el trastorno de estres postraumatico y los mapas cosidos por colegialas en el Nuevo Mundo, hasta la colcha sobre el sida, las historias tejidas de los hmong y los sombreros rosas con orejas de gata de las marchas feministas, mujeres y hombres han utilizado el lenguaje de la costura para hacer oir su voz, incluso en las circunstancias mas desesperadas. Hilos de vida es una cronica de identidad, protesta, memoria, poder y politica contada a traves de la costura. Hunter teje su propia narrativa mientras nos lleva a lo largo de siglos y a traves de continentes (desde la Francia medieval hasta el Mexico y los Estados Unidos contemporaneos, y desde un campo de prisioneros de guerra en Singapur hasta un atico familiar en Escocia) para celebrar la belleza y el poder milenario, universal y poco explorado de la costura. Un libro evocador y conmovedor sobre la necesidad que tenemos de contar nuestra historia.