Life's rich tapestry

[wheelybird]

Does anyone know where the phrase comes from?

[VillageVicar]

I make reference to the tapestries in our lives often at funerals. And I remember back to my earliest childhood when I would meet people and imagined them as being different colours of thread in 'my' personal tapestry...so it must have been presented to me in that way by someone..but I have no idea who.

Good question...sorry I can't help with this one..

Fr Bill

[Quizmonster]

I'm not sure about the 'tapestry' version, but the 'life's rich pageant' version came from a record called The Games Mistress produced in 1935 by the British entertainer, Arthur Marshall. I suspect that that is the original and the other was simply coined later as a variation.

[wheelybird]

Thank you to you both for your answers; I can remember the person I first heard saying it, continuing the quote at length, but that was 30 years ago, and whenever I've heard the phrase since I've regretted not finding out at the time!

[Derek]

I seem to remember the phrase being attributed to Arthur Marshall, who later appeared on `Call My Bluff`, as "all stitches in life's rich tapestry"
Derek Lee at [email protected]

[Derek]

Hi
I seem to remember the phrase: "all stitches in life's rich tapestry" being attributed to Arthur Marshall. At the time (of me becoming aware of the quote) he was appearing on the TV panel show "Call My Bluff", I am sorry that I do not know any more than that.

[swedeheart]

It is the kind of metaphor that will have been used for as long as tapestries have been around. Many of them were allegorical in nature, it's inevitable that analogies should develop between them and life itself. Cf. the expression "the book of life". Also, they were often rolled up for transportation and it's easy to imagine the excitement of watching them unfold again, like a story, or the way life itself "unfolds".

Many creation myths see the world as woven into existence, here is just one article on that subject but it's an interesting one http://en.wikipedia.o...aving_%28mythology%29

Schopenhauer also comes to mind - he compared the first and the second half of life to the right and the wrong side of an embroidery. Search this page for "embroidery" and you'll find the spot http://www.westernrev...unsels_and_maxims.htm

And last but not least... ♫♪ my life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue ♪♫ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7q-1OAbNXg

(I think my point here is nobody and everybody said it first. We say it in Swedish too, BTW.)

[swedeheart]

(Sorry, meant to post another article solely about creation myths but ^^the Wikipedia article is even more informative on the subject of weaving in mythology.)