• Common Threads Press

  • Independent publisher putting radical histories of craft and making on your bookshelf.
  • NEW: Mauka to Makai: Hawaiian Quilts and the Ecology of the Islands

  • Marenka Thompson-Odlum traverses Hawai‘i through the Poakalani quilting group and fifteen extraordinary quilts, newly commissioned by Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford.
  • Upcoming Events

  • Discover our 2024 events including lectures, workshops and Craft in Conversation talks.
  • NEW: Many Hands Make a Quilt: Short Histories of Radical Quilting (Second Edition)

Common Threads Press

Independent publisher putting radical histories of craft and making on your bookshelf. Shop

NEW: Mauka to Makai: Hawaiian Quilts and the Ecology of the Islands

Marenka Thompson-Odlum traverses Hawai‘i through the Poakalani quilting group and fifteen extraordinary quilts, newly commissioned by Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. SHOP

Upcoming Events

Discover our 2024 events including lectures, workshops and Craft in Conversation talks. Find out more

NEW: Many Hands Make a Quilt: Short Histories of Radical Quilting (Second Edition)

Shop

NEW: Many Hands Make a Quilt: Short Histories of Radical Quilting (Second Edition)

Shop now

Fundraising

Fundraising for charities and community groups through our publications, prints and collaborations is something we're most proud of.

£1772 for the Navajo Quilt Project ~ £606 for The Outside Project ~ £468 for the Black Art Library ~ £133 for Leeway Domestic Abuse Services ~ £380 for Norwich Trans Pride ~ £1307 for Medical Aid for Palestinians

Testimonials

I am such a huge fan of Common Threads Press, who offer a vibrant and vital platform to craft stories that have often been neglected from wider histories. Beautifully produced and exacting in research, these publications show that as with everything, the history of craft is deeply political.

Amber Butchart, curator, writer and history consultant for BBC One's Great British Sewing Bee.

Common Threads Press craft sharply focused, deeply researched and intimately felt publications that offer rich insights into the often overlooked yet urgent narratives that textiles can reveal. Their beautiful books speak to the histories of power, poetic possibilities and political potential held in fibre and thread; they have offered me inspiration and joy in equal measure.    

Lotte Johnson, curator of Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art

Common Threads Press publications are brilliant: accessible, informative, powerful.

They bring to the fore the universal human stories told by textiles and their making, underscoring the intimate and political power of fabric.

Rachel Dedman, Jameel Curator of Contemporary Art from the Middle East at the V&A, curator of 'Material Power: Palestinian Embroidery'.

Diasporic Threads platforms a stunning selection of works by contemporary Black women textile artists and is rich in critical insight and historical context.

Ferren Gipson, author of Women's Work: From Feminine Arts to Feminist Arts and The Ultimate Art Museum.

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Reviews

I really appreciate how diverse Common Threads is and I respect that you are always looking to make things even more diverse and wide ranging.

Survey respondent, January 2024

I like how you always cover a wide array of topics from across history and talk about people from all walks of life. You do a lot of great work diversifying craft history!

Survey respondent, January 2024

It brings together so many talented and interesting artists, researchers, makers, and readers — it feels like a wonderful community!

Survey respondent, January 2024