Needles & Pins: Textiles and Tools

The creation of textiles has inspired human thought and communication throughout time. In ancient Greece the Three Fates spun, measured, and cut the thread of life, determining mortals' destiny with spindle and blade. Many European fairy tales incorporate spinning and weaving to comment on woman's role in the family and society. All languages are rich in metaphor and expressions of textiles and their making. We talk of the fabric of life and the thread of a narrative or story; of someone cut from whole cloth and the act of weaving together a community. Making and using cloth permeates everyday life even though few people these days are directly involved in the process.

Cloth is made, embellished, or constructed with tools which started out as a simple extension of the human hand. The same processes done by the hand-operated loom, spinning wheel, and needle are carried out today in computerized factories. The scale has changed but the basic processes and tools have not. Needles and Pins: Textiles and Tools showcases many variations of the tools developed over time and by different people. Textiles and garments illustrate the dazzling possibilities that result by combining human creativity and skill with these surprisingly simple tools.
Embellished textiles can express cultural identity as well as personal creativity. People use cloth and clothing to signify cultural belonging or separateness. In many places, a woman's ability with loom or needle still demonstrates her worth as a wife and provider for her family. Since the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century many waves of textile craft revival have washed over the developed world. Knitting and crocheting are currently enjoying renewed popularity. In a world where mass manufacture is the order of the day, things hand made and possibly imperfect, showing the hand of the maker, are once again important. Ancient technology is as relevant today as ever.