Common Threads was the name of an exhibition that drew together a number of views on mathematics and displayed them operating in the activity deemed most devoid of them. It demonstrated and challenged both gender stereotypes with its evidence that needlework is full of mathematics. This book tries to place Common Threads and its influence within the historical context of the development and spread of mathematics education in England and beyond while tracing the history of the education of girls and women and the effects of their work with textiles on their school curricula. The first 2 chapters sketch the 2000 years of history of how needlework and mathematics came to stereotypes in polar opposition. Chapters 3 and 4 trace the effect of these histories in the curriculum of working and middle classes respectively during the period when the national system of education was begun in England and Wales. Chapter 5 attempts to bring the story up to date. In Chapter 6, attempts to demolish the stereotypes are introduced and an educational program is presented that develops mathematics from within traditional feminine skills. Chapter 7 discusses some of the effects of this work in the classroom. Chapters 8 and 9 explore some of the international hegemonies of mathematics education and discuss the work of the Common Threads tour. Chapter 10 attempts to tie all the threads together again. (ASK)