Fabric: The Hidden History of the Material World
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A magnificent work of original research that unravels history through textiles and cloth—how we make it, use it, and what it means to us. How is a handmade fabric helping save an ancient forest? Why is a famous fabric pattern from India best known by the name of a Scottish town? How is a Chinese dragon robe a diagram of the whole universe? What is the difference between how the Greek Fates and the Viking Norns used threads to tell our destiny? In Fabric, bestselling author Victoria Finlay spins us round the globe, weaving stories of our relationship with cloth and asking how and why people through the ages have made it, worn it, invented it, and made symbols out of it. And sometimes why they have fought for it. She beats the inner bark of trees into cloth in Papua New Guinea, fails to handspin cotton in Guatemala, visits tweed weavers at their homes in Harris, and has lessons in patchwork-making in Gee's Bend, Alabama - where in the 1930s, deprived of almost everything they owned, a community of women turned quilting into an art form. She began her research just after the deaths of both her parents —and entwined in the threads she found her personal story too. Fabric is not just a material history of our world, but Finlay's own journey through grief and recovery.
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This was fantastic. Similar to [b:The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History 43862307 The Golden Thread How Fabric Changed History Kassia St. Clair https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1564592440l/43862307.SX50.jpg 63679455], I loved how etymology was discussed. Finlay brings up how history, economics, culture, and technology came into play in the creation of fabrics and some certain styles of those fabrics. Barkcloth, wool, cashmere/pashmina , cotton, linen, damask, silk, modern man-made fabrics and more were included.I loved how she talked about wool from the Falkland islands being added to a seat in Parliament as it reminded me of Eddie Izzard's comedy: “we need the Falkland Islands... for strategic sheep purposes”I was fascinated at the mention of the jute mill at San Quentin in the late 1800's.I was hoping she'd talk about the ‘silk' or other fabric that's made from eucalyptus, but it didn't come up, but she did briefly talk about the fabric from bamboo and to be aware of green-washing. I liked Finlay's inclusion of her life and the loss of her parents.
This is an impressive accomplishment. It is readable, accessible, touching, and informative. I enjoyed the travel log aspect, as well as the memoir about losing her parents. It is an unusual book, however, so I didn't finish it with a lot of material I could use easily for my classes. It's kind of a blend of history, a lot of detail, travel stories, and grief memoir. I ended up skimming a lot, because I knew I just couldn't retain the detail, but I enjoyed following her lines of inquiry, her sense of humor, and her candor.
