Vesterheim Fiber Arts | Fiber Arts-Barbros Sysaker by Barbro Tronhuus Storlien

Written in Norwegian Bokmål.

See your clothes with new eyes.
Few objects are as important for living active lives with other people as the clothes we wear. Because what would happen if we didn’t have the ability to dress? In this book, Barbro Tronhuus Storlien asks many questions, and in her elegant way she also answers most of them:

Where would we be if some fool hadn’t invented the needle? And what would the clothes look like if we didn’t have scissors?

The textile cultural heritage is full of unsung heroes, women and men who have made important inventions such as flexible measuring tapes and graded paper patterns. Not to mention all the other equipment needed to make a garment. Some tools we know the history of, while others have apparently only appeared.

Barbro also has many opinions about the use of the garments. As the book shows, she wears clothes passed on by her mother, aunts, grandmother and great-grandmother. These are garments that someone has sewn with knowledge and care, or saved up and invested in. There are also clothes that have been preserved, either because the fabrics were exceptionally fine or because there is a story behind the garment that is worth taking care of. In this book, she looks at the close history of textiles through some of these clothes.

She also advocates a certain basic knowledge of textiles: if we are to reduce consumption and make our clothes last longer, we must also be able to care for them. Clothes get worn, they lose buttons, seams crack and sometimes there are small holes. Therefore, we should be able to fold up a skirt, lift shoulder straps, sew in buttons and change zips. We need to know how to read care labels and how to use the information so that we avoid damaging the garments in the wash. In short, we need to learn how to take care of clothes.

Barbro’s hope is that, after reading this book, you look at your clothes with new eyes and that the contents of your wardrobe gain new value for you.