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Title details for The Point of the Needle by Barbara Burman - Wait list

The Point of the Needle

Why Sewing Matters

by Barbara Burman
ebook
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From the pleasures of mending to the problems of fast fashion, an intimate look at the creativity, community, and deep meaning sewed into every stitch.

Tens of millions of people sew for necessity or pleasure every day, yet the craft is surprisingly under-appreciated. The Point of the Needle redresses the balance: this is a book that argues for sewing's place in our lives. It celebrates not only sewing's recent resurgence but sewists' creativity, well-being, and community. Barbara Burman chronicles new voices of people who sew today, by hand or machine, to explore what they sew, what motivates them, what they value, and why they mend things, revealing insights into sewing's more intimate stories. In our age of superfast fashion with its environmental and social injustices, this eloquent book makes a passionate case for identity, diversity, resilience, and memory—what people create for themselves as they stitch and make.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    August 25, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781789147513

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781789147513
      • File size: 1251 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Booklist

      October 1, 2023
      This is a sewing book without pictures, instructions, or projects. Rather, it's a book about and in defense of sewing, which, perhaps surprisingly, can be under attack for the textile and clothing industries' lackluster approach to sustainability, labor, and other concerns. UK author Burman shares her much more positive point of view in this very philosophical, occasionally academic narrative that digs deep into the history of needle and thread. The reasons for the author's obsession with fabric making are many; she savors memories of childhood lost after learning in a 2017 UK survey that 25 percent of adults can't sew on a button; she appreciates the gift-giveability and altruistic nature of handmade items as presents for friends and family; she celebrates the art of haute couture and the work of African women who proudly mend for a living. She also touches on the ways in which sewing can act as a statement, as in Judy Chicago's 1979 art installation, ""The Dinner Party."" The list of pro-sewing arguments continues, exploring this essential partnership between hand and brain.

      COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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