Fabric cover art

Fabric

The Hidden History of the Material World

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Fabric

By: Victoria Finlay
Narrated by: Victoria Finlay
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Victoria Finlay spins us round the globe, weaving stories of our relationship with cloth and completing the trilogy of books which began with her first bestseller Colour: Travels Through the Paintbox.

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. The book became her journey through grief and recovery. It is her own patchwork.

'Subtle, compendious and rich ... an emotive and serious work of what you might call history on the distaff side' - James McConnachie, The Sunday Times

'Dazzling ... Finlay's adventures, vividly recounted, make enthralling reading ... This book is equally an inspiration and an education' - Bel Mooney, Daily Mail

'I am wildly impressed by the depth of her research and the stories she finds' - Alexandra Shulman, author of Clothes... And Other Things That Matter

(P)2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited©2021 Victoria Finlay Art Textile Art
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I could put Fabric down. I have always loved anything to do with colour, rocks, textiles, crafts, archaeology, natural processes, human cultural history, weaving and so forth. Fabric, and also Colour, have both tapped into my imagination. Well done Victoria, for your in depth research, storytelling and also for your willingness to share of yourself. I never knew until 3 years 2 months and two weeks ago when my daughter died, that wailing - like your keening - was an involuntary thing that came from very very deep inside. Your writing is beautiful and graphic, essential and detailed, like the best of ikat cloth.

taps into my brain

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Absolutely loved this. Another beautifully researched, involving journey with Victoria. So enjoyable to get to know how fabrics were the way they were… and how textiles have evolved through history.

History of textiles woven in identity, intrigue, empires and entrepreneurs.

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such a multidimensional exploration of fabric, weaved through the author's life and travels!! fascinating, personal, provokes questions and curiosity on the subject. loved it

profound, deep, emotive

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Excellent book, great that it’s read by the author and very well narrated highly recommended.

Very well read and informative

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I’m currently listening to this for the second time after it has stayed with me. This is beautifully narrated, heartfelt, informative and meticulously researched. I cried, I gasped in awe and I couldn’t wait to learn more. If you only listen to the introduction it will still make for a better life. Highly recommend not only for the creatives but for anyone interested in history and in simply being human.

Breathtakingly beautiful

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