Clare Hunter (born 1950) is a Scottish textile artist and writer.[1] Her first book, Threads of Life: a History of the World through the Eye of a Needle (2019), was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week.[2]
Clare Hunter | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1950 (age 75–76)[1] |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow[1] Durham University[2] |
| Notable work | Threads of Life: a History of the World through the Eye of a Needle |
| Style | textile arts |
| Website | sewingmatters |
Early life and education
editHunter was born in 1950 in Glasgow.[1] She learnt to sew as a child from her mother.[1] Hunter attended the University of Glasgow, where she did a degree in English and drama; one of her tutors was Jennie Erdal, whom she praised.[1][3] Hunter went on to study directing at the Bristol Old Vic, where she learnt to make theatrical costumes.[1] Following her research for Threads of Life, she started a master's degree at Durham University.[2]
Career
editHunter is a community artist and textile artist, and specialises in banner-making.[1] She has been active in politics, including the People's March for Jobs and the 1984–1985 United Kingdom miners' strike.[1]
In her twenties, she worked in youth theatre and was the director of Salisbury Arts Centre.[1][2] She then worked as an arts consultant in London, but decided to move back to Scotland.[1] In Glasgow in 1986 she set up a community interest company, NeedleWorks, which ceased trading in the early 1990s.[1] Its aim was to create employment for people who had not achieved qualifications.[4] As part of the city's year as European Capital of Culture, she worked with the community and with another textile artist, Malcolm Lochhead, on twelve banners representing Glaswegian life, Keeping Glasgow In Stitches.[1][4]
Writing
editHunter received a Creative Scotland grant to write her first book, Threads of Life: a History of the World through the Eye of a Needle (2019).[1] She has said that she is interested in "the social, emotional, or political context" of sewing, and that the history of sewing is a way of examining women's history: "Viewing history through the lens of needlework allows us unedited access to women’s sewn testimonies and reveals what mattered most to them".[4] She writes about the ways in which sewing has been underestimated and ignored, and how it has been used in protest.[5]
Her second book, Embroidering her Truth: Mary Queen of Scots and the Language of Power (2023), is about the embroidery of and other textiles related to Mary, Queen of Scots.[6] Her third book is Making Matters: In Search of Creative Wonders (2025).[7]
Reception
editThreads of Life was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week in 2019.[5][8] A review in the journal Textile: Cloth and Culture said that "The book's vivid descriptions of sewing, textiles, and the accompanying processes are embedded with the kind of rich detail only a stitcher could know ... a novel and much-needed addition to the field of history, anthropology, and textiles", though the reviewer was disappointed that the book has no illustrations.[9] The Fashion Studies Journal said that "A certain Scottishness permeates the entire book ... The soaring and somewhat indulgent quality of Hunter’s language makes for good (but still smart!) pleasure reading".[10]
The Scotsman said of Embroidering her Truth that "Hunter's retelling illuminates [Mary's life] in unexpected ways".[7] The Observer described Making Matters as a "hymn to the sensory wonder and connectivity of the homemade".[11]
The fashion designer Maria Grazia Chiuri was influenced by Hunter's Threads of Life to highlight the work of Indian garment workers, particularly embroiderers, in Dior's collection for the 2021 Paris Fashion Week, and by Embroidering her Truth in the 2024 show.[12][13]
Personal life
editHunter lives in Stirlingshire.[1]
Books
edit- Threads of Life: a History of the World through the Eye of a Needle (2019, Sceptre at Hodder & Stoughton)
- Embroidering her Truth: Mary Queen of Scots and the Language of Power (2023, Sceptre at Hodder & Stoughton)
- Making Matters: In Search of Creative Wonders (2025, Sceptre at Hodder & Stoughton)
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Flockhart, Susan (2 February 2019). "Threads Of Life: A History Of The World Through The Eye Of A Needle". The Herald. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 MacLean, Jeannie (2 October 2019). "Words and Stitches: A Conversation with Clare Hunter". DURA – Dundee Review of the Arts. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
- ↑ McAfee, Annalena (7 June 2020). "Jennie Erdal obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Interview with Clare Hunter: History Through the Needlework Lens". Embroiderers' Guild of America. 19 September 2025. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- 1 2 Flockhart, Susan (27 January 2019). "Book review: Threads Of Life: A History Of The World Through The Eye Of A Needle By Clare Hunter". The Herald. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- ↑ Mansfield, Susan (4 April 2022). "Book review: Embroidering Her Truth: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power, by Clare Hunter". The Scotsman. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- 1 2 Patterson, Christina (22 August 2025). "From paper boats to puppets — the joy of making things: Clare Hunter's Making Matters is a celebration of the overlooked artistry in crafts practised across the world". The Times. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- ↑ "Book of the Week, Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle, Episode 1". BBC. 4 February 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- ↑ Clarke, Naomi (2 October 2019). "Review of Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle by Clare Hunter: London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2019". Textile. 17 (4): 439–441. doi:10.1080/14759756.2019.1612641. hdl:1983/33caa7cc-375a-43a2-a0ee-1161aa1cd0f6. ISSN 1475-9756. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- ↑ Smith, Sawnie (18 November 2021). "Book Review: Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle". The Fashion Studies Journal. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- ↑ Anderson, Hephzibah (3 August 2025). "Books in brief: Rooms for Vanishing, Making Matters and The Writers' Castle: New books by Stuart Nadler, Clare Hunter and Uwe Neumahr reviewed". The Observer. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- ↑ Cartner-Morley, Jess (5 July 2021). "Dior stitches story of solidarity into its immaculate offerings". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- ↑ Cartner-Morley, Jess (4 June 2024). "Feistily gorgeous Dior show renews auld alliance with Scotland". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2026.