Quickthorn is an independent publisher creating practical and ethical books about making and personal resilience


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When Words Not Enough book cover
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cover of Small Steps to Less Waste
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The long-awaited Red Dress book is nearly here, with a fantastic team assembled and a beautiful selection of stories, images, reflections and essays from the 14 year global collaborative embroidery project ready to be compiled into an exquisitely designed and ethically and sustainably produced book. With the garment now completed and touring the world, Kirstie Macleod is focusing on the documentation and preservation of the dress and greater project so it can be enjoyed by more people globally and generations of future audiences in years to come. The upcoming book will share the deeper story of The Red Dress, its embroiderers and Kirstie’s story whilst opening up the wider issues the garment prompts for its audiences through thematic essays by individuals involved in the greater project on subjects such as empowerment, finding voice, feminism, community and healing trauma. 
Read more about the project here and support our crowd-funder for The Red Dress book by preordering the books here

About Quickthorn


Quickthorn publishes books with an emphasis on making, and personal agency. Making empowers us to be more self-sufficient and take control over the way we consume.
Making something with your own hands is a reflective process, it encourages you to slow down when the pace of life feels too fast, to be patient and to learn that good things don’t happen immediately. There is a huge joy in making, to create something that is unique, tangible evidence of your time and labour.
We have been researching new ways to reduce our environmental impact, using local suppliers and printers where possible, sourcing recyclable packaging and recently using a cellulose lamination process for book finishing that is fully biodegradable and compostable.

Quickthorn Books are distributed to the trade in the UK and Europe by Centralbooks.com (orders@centralbooks.com) and in the US through IPGBooks and in Australasia by Woodslane

We are always interested in submissions for illustrated non-fiction titles around craft and making (we don’t publish fiction or poetry thanks). If you think your idea might fit with our other books, please send a brief outline of your ideas to info[at]quickthornbooks.com

Blog posts


  • The Red Dress
    Support The Red Dress project fundraiser to produce a fabulous new book to record the journey of the project. The Crowdfunder starts 18 October 2024.
  • Darned brooches
    Since Hikaru’s Instagram live event I’ve been trying to make my own macaron brooch inspired by the ones in her latest book, Beyond Darning: Creative mending techniques. There are several kinds of project in the book, from patches and soft brooches, and then these round ones, named after those lovely French macarons. Hikaru uses ‘moulds’ and unable to get hold of any I’ve used jam jar lids, which seems to work out okay. Though not nearly as lovely as the… Read more: Darned brooches
  • It’s official, craft is good for you
    New research by Dr Helen Keyes of Anglia Ruskin University this week shows the benefits of making for your health (Frontiers of Health Journal ).

Read more…

Press coverage


Juno Magazine 2024
Cotswold Life Feb 2024
Resurgence Magazine Jan 2024
Two books reviewed in Juno Dec 22
Review in Juno Magazine 2023
Good on Paper feature Nov 2023
Review by Alyson Walsh 7 Nov 22
Review bps.org.uk Nov 22
Crafts Magazine
Intelligent Hands March 2024
FQS Review in Juno magazine
The Simple Things magazine
reviews On Mending

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info[at]quickthornbooks.com