Textiles: A Cradle to Grave Affair
Whether someone is a textile fanatic or not, it is a common truth that we all use textiles in our daily lives. What would life be like, without sheets, towels, dishcloths, wedding gowns, baby outfits, blue jeans, and so much more?
More than anything else, people want to dress well for special occasions, and even for daily wear. How we dress can actually make us look better. For example, a jersey with horizontal stripes will not look very becoming on a very wide body. In that case, vertical stripes are in order. Conversely, if one is thin, then horizontal stripes will look great!
Certain colors look better with specific skin colors. While I love the color orange, in a quilt, I do not look good wearing orange near my face. It makes me look washed out, and it does not complement my pinkish complexion and hazel eyes.
No matter if we are careful in our choices of color or not, they do have a psychological effect on those around us. I really enjoy it when Jim wears a blue shirt or a gray one. Those colors suit him and match his calm, serene, uneasily riled, personality. Whether we realize it or not, the colors of clothes cause a profound response in the viewer.
As I started out to say, clothes and textiles are with us, from cradle to grave. Some items are ornate like smocked and embroidered dresses for little girls; others are strictly utilitarian, like tablecloths and embroidered dish towels.
I guess I’ve been very lucky over the years in being able to find unusual, old textiles to study and to discuss in my writings. It’s been a lot of fun learning about the specific categories of old textiles, domestic and foreign, and their history. Clothing and textile-related topics are inexhaustible and I have a hunch that I will not run out of interesting things to study, regarding all of that.
So, it is with great joy that I continue my quest daily to learn more about this exciting subject of textiles: how, when, where, and why they were made, and for whom; and historical trends and connections.
Have a great Tuesday!
Pat Cummings
