Teaching textile traditions is a gift mothers pass to their children generation after generation. Whether in Mexico or Morocco, Afghanistan or Laos, mothers have been teaching their daughters (ands sons) to weave, to spin, to dye, to embroider for centuries. Sharing these skills with the next generation is practical, of course, because it creates a […]
26
Mar
Mar
Semana Santa, Holy Week, the week before Easter, is a time of amazement and passion in Latin America. I’ve had the good fortune to be in Chiapas for this special time once, and in Guatemala twice. The memories are vivid and indelible. Nebaj, Quiche, Guatemala It’s early morning before dawn, and a throng of people […]
04
Mar
Mar
Almost 36 years ago, National Geographic magazine published an issue with Steve McCurry’s photo of a young Afghan woman on the cover. Her intense green eyes were so unexpected, and her expression so loaded with hard-to-read emotion, that the photograph has become iconic. Just google “afghan girl” and there she is, after all this time. […]
10
Feb
Feb
A year ago, the world was different. We were eagerly awaiting a boat from China bringing our newest book, Every Thread a Story and its companion volume, The Secret Language of Miao Embroidery, to our warehouse. Then we were going to hop on a plane with 16 intrepid fellow travelers and head off to Guizhou […]
27
Jan
Jan
If Thrumming gave best self-published book awards (and maybe we should!), a top contender would be The Eye of Fiber: An Uncommon Story from Around the World. Linda Cortright has been traveling the globe for decades with her trusty Nikon and a rare ability to locate rare animals. She has publishing the results of her […]
22
Jan
Jan
I used to travel to Chicago on business several times a year, and every time I squeezed in a couple of hours at the Chicago Art Institute. Not for the wonderful Impressionist collection, or the Picasso room, or even for Edward Hopper, but for the 14th century collection of armor and weapons. Here’s why: There […]
11
Jan
Jan
I’ve been checking in with Thrums Books authors to see how they are living their lives in these turbulent times. With unwavering purpose, is what I learned. Read on. HEART-FELT IN AFGHANISTAN Mary Anne Wise, in addition to being a co-founder of Multicolores rug hooking cooperative in Guatemala and co-author of Rug Money: How a […]
18
Dec
Dec
Walk down any street in Oaxaca City, and you’ll be dazzled by color: color so intense it seems to make your eyes vibrate. There’s such uninhibited joy! Turquoise and cerise and lime and sunshine yellow…these colors don’t necessarily come from nature, but they frame the nature of that place. Drive a few miles out of […]
04
Dec
Dec
EDITOR’S NOTE: The transition of Thrums Books to Schiffer Publications is complete, but my passion for books and the shared experiences they invite us into has not waned. I’ll continue to write as my internal thrummings compel me. Thanks for reading. THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE When I was eight years old my family moved […]
25
Sep
Sep
When my colleagues at ClothRoads and I chose the name “Thrums” for our umbrella business, we were thinking of the old term for the loose threads that are left on the back of a loom when a new weaving is cut off. We were feeling sort of like loose threads after leaving Interweave Press in […]
