Textiles: The Whole Story

Discusses how textiles are an integral part of the human life journey from cradle to grave in a multitude of practical, symbolic and spiritual ways. This title illustrates the many uses of textiles in our everyday lives. It outlines how textiles are a means of communication functional, political and artistic and a metaphor for transcendence.A worldwide history for anyone with a passion for textiles and textile arts, whether creative, professional, or educational.There are few aspects of our lives-physical, emotional, spiritual-in which thread and fabrics do not play a notable part. Beverly Gordon reminds us memorably and movingly of the powerful significance of fabric throughout human history. Her study of textile art and history is combined with her own hands-on experience: spinning silk from silk- worm cocoons, weaving cloth, and creating natural dyes.The author bridges past and present from the Stone Age, when humans first learned to make cordage or thread, to twenty-first-century "smart fabrics," which can regulate body temperature or measure the wearer's pulse. Her discussion integrates art, science, history, and anthropology, and she draws on examples from around the globe. A dazzling array of illustrations includes paintings and photographs of both historic and contemporary textiles and a broad collection of textiles being created, worn, and lived with. This vibrantly illustrated book is an original look at the myriad roles played by textiles in all aspects of human life, from ancient weavings to light-sensitive and other futuristic fabrics of our own era. Beverly Gordon discusses how textiles are an integral part of the human life journey from cradle to grave in a multitude of practical, symbolic and spiritual ways. The many uses of textiles in our everyday lives and their sources are illustrated, along with a discussion about how, as a valuable commodity, in some communities textiles function as money. Finally, the author outlines how textiles are a means of communication functional, political and artistic and a metaphor for transcendence. This book will captivate and inspire anyone who has a passion for textiles and textile arts, whether educational, creative or professional.