Pull of the Thread (Hardcover)

Sheila Fruman

ISBN 10: 1898113874 / ISBN 13: 9781898113874

Published by Hali Publications Ltd, London, 2023

About this Item

Hardcover. In 1969, Sheila Fruman left her native Canada to see the world. Travelling overland from London to India, she scoured the markets from Istanbul to Mumbai and spent her time in teahouses in the Swat Valley before reaching the hedonistic hippie scene on the beaches of Goa. Her experiences are characteristic of a generation leaving convention behind and seeking adventure and enlightenment abroad. Along the way, she became enchanted with the handmade textiles she encountered: embroidered silk dresses, mirrored shawls, the finest wool hats and coats. Several decades later, she realised that she was not the only one to have fallen in love with the profusion of textiles abounding in the streets and markets. In this book, Fruman tells the stories of nine intrepid travellers whose textile endeavours span collecting, scholarship, interior design and the fashion runway. Taken together, they are an enlightening guide to understanding how we connect to the past, and how textiles connect the world. AUTHOR: Sheila Fruman's travels in 1969 from London to Mumbai aroused a keen interest in textiles and carpets. After a 25-year career in politics in her native Canada and, later, working in post-conflict countries to support democratisation, she has pursued her love of handmade antique textiles and authored a book about fellow textile travellers. SELLING POINTS: . Untold stories from the hippie trail . Featuring previously unpublished photographs of Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and India . A must-have for textile lovers 250 colour, 25 b/w illustrations Tells the stories of nine intrepid adventurers who have combed the streets and bazaars of Central and South Asia finding, researching, collecting and selling textile treasures to interested Westerners. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781898113874

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Pull of the Thread (Hardcover)
• Publisher: Hali Publications Ltd, London
• Publication Date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1898113874
• ISBN 13: 9781898113874
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Sheila Fruman, fascinated by the textiles and handmade carpets she saw when she traveled overland in 1969 from Turkey to India, tells the stories of nine intrepid adventurers who have combed the streets and bazaars of Central and South Asia finding, researching, collecting and selling antique Kashmir shawls, embroidered Uzbek textiles and robes, Anatolian kilims, Turkmen carpets and many other textile treasures to interested Westerners.

These stories capture the post-World War II era’s free spirit that briefly coincided with economic prosperity and open borders. With over 200 color illustrations, the book shows how the indigenous designs and motifs popularized in the US and Europe by these textile travelers can now be found in anything from haute couture to high-end interior design to mass-marketed bedding, tableware and clothing.

The dealers and collectors who have spent their lives seeking these complex pieces of the past have intriguing stories to tell and collections of some of the finest textiles of their kind in the world. Taken together, their stories are an enlightening guide to understanding how we connect to the past, and how textiles connect the world.

About the Author

Sheila Fruman’s travels in 1969 from London to Mumbai aroused a keen interest in textiles and carpets. After a 25-year career in politics in her native Canada and, later, working in post-conflict countries to support democratisation, she has pursued her love of handmade antique textiles and authored a book about fellow textile travelers.