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28 Mar, 4 tweets, 2 min read
Just a very friendly reminder that I am a *fantasy novelist*.

I am not an academic.

I am not a journalist.

I write stories about magic, witches, monsters, and flirting. Often in sumptuous clothing.

I ask a lot of questions and share the answers I find.
I have no control over what goes viral. I want to keep up, but between my life and job and family, I can’t always. I hate that.

I also have ADHD. And depression. And anxiety. Some days Twitter is too much.

I’m totally ok, but just so y’all remember. I do this for free.
I don’t take sponsorships. I don’t do ads.

It’s just me, sharing my research deep dives.

If I miss a comment or a question, please know it’s not intentional.

I love doing #ThreadTalk and will continue to do it, but just putting this all out here.
It’s been 99% awesome. And I’ll take that. But the bigger this platform gets, the more essential it is that I’m transparent with y’all.

Whew. Okay. Now here’s @zefrank on nudibranches.

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More from @NataniaBarron

Natania Barron Profile picture
29 Mar
1 - Welcome to #ThreadTalk! Today we're tackling the venerable bead.

Don't be fooled: This. Subject. Is. Huge. 🤯

We're touring the world throug alchemy, biology, archaeology -- and learn how colonialism & slavery figures in.

Featured: Sioux (Teton) woman's dress from 1880. An intricate dress from the...
2 -Like its cousin embroidery, beads are a world heritage art. Beads evolve next to humanity, it seems.

But how beads are treated, valued & traded--and what they're made of--well, that's where things get interesting.

Featured: Helmet - Fang People, late 19th C/early 20th C Africa | Man's helmet from ...
3 - Beads are plentiful in archaeology, often long outlasting the threads that held them. These here are probably from Cyprus from 750BC-300BC & I would totally wear them.

Basically, people found shells & shiny things, went “mine” & the Precious was became... wait, wrong story. String of seventeen beads a...
Read 35 tweets
Natania Barron Profile picture
24 Mar
That said: also welcome to all my new followers!

I do #ThreadTalk every Monday. I've loved fashion since I could remember, but came to these deep dives through world-building my own fantasy novels (and historical fantasy).

Looking forward to learning more about you all.
I believe fabric culture makes us human, and it's often set aside for the blood, battle, and action.

Yet, I think it really brings us together in so many ways.

It's just that in the wake of colonialism and capitalism, we've lost our way a bit.
In my early career as a writer, I was often snickered at for insisting that the best way into a world--imagined or historical--is understanding their fashion. Because fashion is frivolous and "girly" etc.

But think: Who has access to the goods? Who makes it? Who wears it?
Read 4 tweets
Natania Barron Profile picture
22 Mar
1 - Welcome to #ThreadTalk, muslin edition. Muslin has been all over my feed, so let me cut to the chase:

The finest fabric in human history was perfected by the Bengali people but tragically lost in the wake of imperialism & economic ruin at the hands of the English.

🤬🤬 18th - early 19th century muslin gown, made in India. A woma
2 - Muslin was once called "The vapor of dawn" by a Chinese trader named Yuan Chwang. Other names were "woven wind" & "wonder gossamer" - yet it's now synomymous with Regency period dramas.

There's no way around this: it is not a happy story. But it's one people need to hear. Closeup of muslin, (c)Victoria and Albert Museum, London - c
3 - In many ways, this is a companion thread to my original #chintz talk. Chintz and muslin are both made from cotton & both arose to fame b/c of the art, vision, & craft of Indian weavers.

Muslin is a basic plain weave, that means it's just a warp and a weft. But there's more. ©Victoria & Albert Museum, London - This robe is said to ha
Read 29 tweets
Natania Barron Profile picture
22 Mar
So. Story time.

I went for a long hike with @boreasflame today, catching up after way too long, & we discussed my lack of squeamishness, as well as gender (non)conformity, animism & more (as u do).

We took a long route & at the trailhead saw a dude with a pair of shoeboxes.
Not the weirdest, but sure. He spied us with a look of relief in his eyes and said: “I have a weird question for you. I caught something and I need help setting it free.”

This is the kind of thing I was made for. I got really excited & thought maybe it was a snake 🐍!
“Oh, what is it?” I asked. Still hoping for snake.

“I caught a rat,” he said. “And I... I just can’t. The trap is stuck and I’ve been sitting here for 20 minutes trying to get it out.”

A rat! Well, we don’t have many native rats. But maybe it was a pet? I went to see...
Read 10 tweets
Natania Barron Profile picture
16 Mar
1 - It's time for #ThreadTalk. That's right: it's time to dye.

Warning: This feature includes insects🐞, poison☠️, dead bodies 💀, human combustion🔥 & general yuck🤢

And of course colonialism👎. But also gowns! Like this French afternoon dress in yellow & chartreuse from 1866 Chatreuse and saffron colored gown from 1866; Met Museum, Pu
2 - Most natural fiber fabrics are bit bland at first. Getting them vibrant means the adding of pigment.

Natural wool is often an ivory hue, & it takes a lot of processing to get the right hue. Raw wool pictured below to give you an idea. Carding video: CC BY 2.0 - Freshly shorn wool, via Wikimedia Commons. A pil
3 - Red is the color of passion, desire, and… insect secretion. Yes, we get carmine red from carminic acid, a substance we extract from female cochineals. Yum!

Cochineals are scale insects found in the Americas and are often found on prickly pear cactuses. British Ballgown from 1875 -- bright carmine red in silk velA female and a male cochineal -- the female is small and sca
Read 25 tweets
Natania Barron Profile picture
9 Mar
1 - Welcome to #ThreadTalk. This week’s subject: #embroidery.

This fabric art—both fine and folk — is a world heritage art, meaning its inception goes back before recorded times.

So tonight, I’m taking you on a tour around the world. V & A Museum - Mantua - This is a magnificent example of Eng
2 - The word "embroider" comes to English by way Frankish and Proto-German & may mean “braid” or “embellishment.”

From simple decorative stitches to complex beaded patterns, embroidery is often a matter of national pride and identity, too, like this Croatian blouse. Blouse from the Met Museum, Croatia. - Highly embroidered b
3 - The width and breadth of the embroidery on Earth is striking in variety & beauty. It transcends class, status, and rank & has been used both as symbols of the oppressed and the oppressor.

This hand-stitched Mandarin rank badge is from the Qing Dynasty in China.
Read 30 tweets

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