Thread Timeline
When you do “old-fashioned” crafts like weaving and quilting, people assume you know lots of things about the old days. I am always interested in learning more about textiles and their history, so I was interested in this display at the International Quilt Festival.
Part of the Coats and Clark display at the International Quilt Festival
Coats and Clark Thread is celebrating 200 years of being in business, so they put together this timeline. I’m only posting one picture of it, because I figured they must have put all this good information on their website, and sure enough, they did. You can find it here. If you like old advertising art, they have posted a gallery of some of their trade cards, and they also created a PDF of the timeline that is even more detailed – 28 pages! With color pictures!
If you like textile history, it’s worth a look.
So interesting. Now I didn’t see that. So glad you posted it!
I am planning to print out the PDF and keep it in the reference notebook I take with me when I demonstrate spinning and weaving.
Well, I know what *I’m* doing while my students are working on their papers tomorrow! I never even thought to be curious about the history of thread, but now I’m excited.
Sadly, this only covers the 200 years of Coats and Clark thread, but still, a lot happened in that time. To go back 20,000 years, you can take a look at Women’s Work by Elizabeth Wayland Barber. You know, when you have time to read a 300-page book.
I love how thread and cloth are in so many Greek stories – Clotho, Ariadne, Deianeira, Arachne, Penelope – it makes me feel like I know those characters!