Threads of Life : A History of the World Though the Eye of a Needle : by Clare Hunter
A globe-spanning history of sewing, embroidery, and the people who have used a needle and thread to make their voices heard In 1970s Argentina, mothers marched in headscarves embroidered with the names of their “disappeared” children. In Tudor, England, when Mary, Queen of Scots, was under house arrest, her needlework carried her messages to the outside world.
From the political propaganda of the Bayeux Tapestry, World War I soldiers coping with PTSD, and the maps sewn by schoolgirls in the New World, to the AIDS quilt, Hmong story clothes, and pink pussyhats, women and men have used the language of sewing to make their voices heard, even in the most desperate of circumstances.
Threads of Life is a chronicle of identity, protest, memory, power, and politics told through the stories of needlework. Clare Hunter, master of the craft, threads her own narrative as she takes us over centuries and across continents—from medieval France to contemporary Mexico and the United States, and from a POW camp in Singapore to a family attic in Scotland—to celebrate the age-old, universal, and underexplored beauty and power of sewing. Threads of Life is an evocative and moving book about the need we have to tell our story.
- Pages: 320
- Author: Clare Hunter
- Dimensions: 7.75in x 5in x .75in
- Softcover
1) Upload your PDF pattern file(s).
2) Add notes (sizes, layers, colour vs black & white).
3) Set page quantity = total number of A0 pages. (Example: a 5-page pattern = 5 pages)
4) Select how many copies you need (if you need more than one copy of the pattern)
5) Choose delivery - folded shipping (Canada-wide) or rolled pickup (Sprucedale or Toronto Parkdale).
5) Checkout - we print within 1 business day.
- Format: A0 (33.1" x 46.8") / 36" wide roll
- Paper: 75–90 gsm bond - durable, lightweight, easy to work with
- Print options: Black & White (default) or Colour
- Scaling: Always printed at 100% true size - your test square will be accurate
- File upload limit: 20 MB per file (PDF or ZIP). Larger? Compress into a .zip.
- Folded (default for shipping): Shipped flat in a sturdy envelope or parcel - economical and reliable for Canadian delivery.
- Rolled (local pickup only): Rolled into a bundle for easy handling. Available at our Sprucedale studio or from our weekly Parkdale, Toronto drop-off.
Same-day printing on most orders placed before 9am; always within 1 business day.
- True-to-scale accuracy on a professional HP DesignJet wide-format printer
- Fast fulfilment - most orders ready to ship/pickup from Sprucedale next business day; local pickup in Parkdale weekly
- Affordable Canadian shipping - folded and flat for best rates
- Local pick up service - rolled pickup in Toronto or Sprucedale
- Add on any additional notions, fabric and tools you may need for your project
- Save time & tape - no more tiling, trimming, or scaling errors
If your pattern has 5 A0 pages:
- Upload your file(s)
- Select Page Quantity = 5 pages
- Add notes if needed (e.g., "Print size 10 only")
- Add to cart
- If you have another pattern to print, upload your next file & repeat!
- Select folded shipping or rolled local pickup
- Checkout and we’ll handle the rest
