Clare Hunter has been a banner-maker, community textile artist and textile curator for over twenty years and established the community enterprise NeedleWorks in Glasgow. Her first book, Threads of Life, won the Saltire First Book Award, was a Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month and a Radio 4 Book of the Week.
In this charmed feat of imagination and learning, the beauties and disasters of Mary Stuart's life unfold again, and her nimble brain and fingers are alive. It is a personal project, with the flavour of a memoir, but dense with fascinating information that the less inspired might miss. Clare Hunter is at ease in this glittering, alien world, and moves through it as a woman, with Mary's 'joyouestie' in mind as well as her suffering. -- Hilary Mantel (January 2022) [A] densely packed, elegantly written book... Embroidering Her Truth is another brilliant achievement of top tier Scottish non-fiction. It's an additional pleasure to read historical biography sourcing so many expert women. * The Scotsman * A quirky but absolutely fascinating read * Scottish Field * An intimate portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots * The Quilter * Select praise for THREADS OF LIFE: An astonishing feat * Sunday Times * Triumphant * Mail on Sunday * An inspiring and moving sideways look at history * Sunday Express * Astonishing . . . so well written * Times Literary Supplement * A beautifully considered book . . .Clare Hunter has managed to mix the personal with the political with moving results' -- Tracy Chevalier With her engaging style, [Hunter] offers a tantalising glimpse into Mary's world through the prism of the textiles that surrounded her...Throughout the book, Hunter's passion, knowledge and experience of working with textiles shine through... Hunter's approach of memoir blended with history and material culture captivates the reader from the first page and enthrals to the last. * BBC History Magazine *