This comprehensive, illustrated survey explores the more common linens and fabrics once carefully stored in American linen closets and hope chests and proudly spread on tables and in neatly made up bedrooms. More than 500 color photographs illustrate these diverse and colorful areas of collecting, ranging from intricate and detailed samplers, embroidery, and tatting, to simple but elegant pieces such as hand towels and splashers; pillow cases, shams and bolsters; quilts and coverlets; rugs; scarves and runners; sheets and blankets; tablecloths; and tray and teacart cloths.You'll even find early factory-made fabrics, a breakthrough for homemakers of the time. Helpful, creative tips on caring for old and damaged pieces, as well as new ideas for decorating with them, are also included. Written for both the novice antiquer and the experienced dealer, Collecting More Household Linens is a wonderful guide to the linens found decorating our homes for decades.

When does a carpet transcend the category of interior accessory to become art? This well-illustrated book features 200 carpets found in behind-the scenes tours of amazing homes around the world. In thematic chapters, it covers the main international trends, from Ethnic to Art Deco and from Contemporary to Artsy. These dressed-up living spaces provide inspiration for anyone fascinated by stylish living, creative interior design and the myriad possibilities for home decor. In addition, the author provides helpful information on the provenance of materials, quality of design, composition and workmanship possibilities for home decor. It's a fascinating glimpse into the homes of people with a good taste. Carpets & Rugs is comprehensive and more relevant than ever.

An introduction to the design, production and use of luxury embroideries in medieval England (c. 1200-1530) In medieval Europe, embroidered textiles were indispensable symbols of wealth and power. Owing to their quality, complexity and magnificence, English embroideries enjoyed international demand and can be traced in Continental sources as opus anglicanum (English work). Essays by leading experts explore the embroideries' artistic and social context, while catalogue entries examine individual masterpieces. Medieval embroiderers lived in a tightly knit community in London, and many were women who can be identified by name. Comparisons between their work and contemporary painting challenge modern assumptions about the hierarchy of artistic media. Contributors consider an outstanding range of examples, highlighting their craftsmanship and exploring the world in which they were created. Published in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum

The tradition of weaving textiles and rugs among the Navajo people in the Southwest is glimpsed in its present form in this new pictorial study. The regional styles long associated with Navajo blankets and rugs continue to evolve today and the sections of this book present the contemporary results through hundreds of beautiful all photographs and text identifying many of the weavers. The new styles of Burntwater, Wide Ruins, Ganado, Crystal, Chinle, Two Grey Hills, Teec Nos Pos, Western Reservation and Shiprock area designs show continuing talent among today's Navajo weavers. There is also a section devoted to special purpose and fancy weavings including saddle blankets, round, double and two-faced weaves and multiples designs. One must conclude that the quality and diversity of Navajo weavings is at a high level today.

The history of quilts, their makers, and usage is an important part of our country's heritage presented here in full detail through 330 vintage photographs. Books on quilt history have, to date, included only a few photos of quilts. This in-depth collection, most of which has never been seen before, date from 1855 to 1955. Each vivid image provides commentary on quilting specifics, photography, costume, and American cultural history, especially toward the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Photographic formats and a glossary of quilting terms are included to aid the reader in dating their own vintage photographs. This book is a wonderful resource for all quilters, historians, and photographers.

Why spend a small fortune to rent expensive period costumes when you can create them yourself for less than a day's rental price? Make them the easy way from cast-offs without sewing! Included in this book are over 65 ingenious costumes designs with photos and diagrams for many period characters from Egyptian, Greek and Roman all the way to Punk. These conversion costuming ideas will save you time, money and deadline disasters and give you precisely the costume you want. Sample section headings: Gothic, Renaissance, Elizabethan, Restoration, Old West, Bustle, Turn-of-the Century, WWI, '20s, '30s, '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s.

The title of this book embodies the author's attitude toward the collection that she presents, using vivid photographs to guide the reader through centuries of lacemaking and embroidery. The author has traveled throughout Europe carefully researching the origin and history of the pieces presented. Information is separated into eight chapters: Lace Trim, Bridal Hankies, Fashion, Society Embroidery, Appenzell-work, Bed Linens, Table Linens, and Miscellaneous Lace and/or Embroidered Pieces. Each chapter includes an overview, detailed descriptions, and photographs, including details that are excellent references for identifying various styles of lace and embroidery. The price range associated with each will help the reader understand the effect age, condition, and workmanship have on value. This book will appeal to beginners and experienced collectors alike.

The effective preparation of garments for display is essential for exhibitions of contemporary and historical dress. Costumes not only need to be visually appealing but also fully supported and historically accurate. This book provides a comprehensive guide to mounting costumes from the eighteenth century to the present day. It includes methods for adapting and shaping figures to create historical silhouettes, constructing underpinnings and making replicas and toiles using inexpensive and simple techniques. A Practical Guide to Costume Mounting is an invaluable resource for conservators, historians and all those working with clothing in museums, private collections and throughout the fashion and theatre industries. Trained as a historical costume maker, author Lara Flecker is the textile display specialist at London's Victoria and Albert Museum. She has worked extensively with the museum's world-class costume collection, preparing garments for display. Her simple mounting methods are clearly explained and can be used by people with a wide range of experience, including those with few sewing skills.

A heavily illustrated classic on the evolution of the handloom. The handloom-often no more than a bundle of sticks and a few lengths of cordage-has been known to almost all cultures for thousands of years. Eric Broudy places the wide variety of handlooms in their historical context. What influenced their development? How did they travel from one geographic area to another? Were they invented independently by different cultures? How have modern cultures improved on ancient weaving skills and methods? Broudy shows how virtually every culture has woven on handlooms. He highlights the incredible technical achievement of early cultures that created magnificent textiles with the crudest of tools and demonstrates that modern technology has done nothing to surpass their skill or inventiveness.

Handbags have been an essential part of the feminine attire for nearly 200 years. This all-inclusive book showcases hundreds of unique handbags, from pouches worn in the dark ages to contemporary clutches, illustrated in 450 beautiful color images. This book traces the handbag's evolution as it has related to fashion and been influenced by history. The handbags range from delicate beaded reticules, to bold metal ring mesh bags and rhinestone-accented velvet evening bags. Leather, silk, plastic, and even wooden handbags are shown, each with current market values in the caption. The factual text and period advertisements will appeal to enthusiasts. This book is an invaluable reference for collectors and antique professionals, and a great resource for designers.

Extensively illustrated, this is the first accessible publication on the history of tapestry in over two decades. Woven with dazzling images from history, mythology and the natural world, and breath-taking in their craftsmanship, tapestries were among the most valuable and high-status works of art available in Europe from the medieval period to the end of the eighteenth century. Over 600 historic examples hang in National Trust properties in England and Wales - the largest collection in the UK. This beautifully illustrated study by tapestry expert Helen Wyld, in association with the National Trust, offers new insights into these works, from the complex themes embedded in their imagery, to long-forgotten practices of sacred significance and ritual use. The range of historical, mythological and pastoral themes that recur across the centuries is explored, while the importance of the 'revival' of tapestry from the late nineteenth century is considered in detail for the first time. Although focussed on the National Trust's collection, this book offers a fresh perspective on the history of tapestry across Europe. Both the tapestry specialist and the keen art-history enthusiast can find a wealth of information here about woven wall hangings and furnishings, including methods of production, purchase and distribution, evolving techniques and technologies, the changing trends of subject matter across time, and how tapestries have been collected, used and displayed in British country houses across the centuries.

A fascinating history of Irishmen, woven through the clothes they wear. Taking the clothes they wore as a starting point, Paul Galvin skilfully weaves together a collection of stories of Irish men who defined the culture and mood of their time. In 'Push' he tells the story of the legendary Walker Brothers - cyclists and soldiers who pedalled through a storm for Ireland at the 1912 Stockholm Games. In 'Born Mad', discover another side to Samuel Beckett - sartor and prolific sportsman who had knockout power as a champion boxer in school. In 'Boland' we learn about Harry Boland's background as a trained tailor, and in 'Jack' we encounter Jack B. Yeats at the Olympic Games in Paris. These are just some of men who have inspired Paul's own fashion collections and whom he writes about here in a fascinating collection that shines a light on how history is woven into the clothes Irishmen wear.

Revealing the elaborate embroidery, intricate pleats and daring cuts that make up some of the 20th century's most beautiful garments, this book explores the specific techniques used by couturiers as tastes and textile technologies evolved. Work by designers such as Mariano Fortuny, Madeleine Vionnet, Paul Poiret, Hubert de Givenchy, Mary Quant, Yves Saint Laurent and Vivienne Westwood is rediscovered, and exquisite haute-couture pieces, from sequinned Chanel trouser suits and richly embroidered Schiaparelli jackets to striking Balenciaga creations and Dior evening gowns, are examined. Part of the 'Fashion in Detail' series, this updated edition features a revised introduction and list of designers followed by chapters dedicated to a particular technique. Each garment is illustrated through detailed photography and line drawings and is accompanied by a commentary by leading experts in textiles and fashion. An extraordinary exploration of the techniques used by couturiers in the construction of these exceptional garments, 20th-Century Fashion in Detail will delight all followers of fashion.

Arkansas Made is the culmination of the Historic Arkansas Museum's exhaustive investigations into the history of the state's material culture past. Decades of meticulous research have resulted in this exciting two-volume set portraying the work of a multitude of artisan cabinetmakers, silversmiths, potters, fine artists, quilters, and more working in communities all over the sate. The work of these artisan groups documented and collected here has been the driving force of the Historic Arkansas Museum's mission to collect and preserve Arkansas's creative legacy and rich artistic traditions.Arkansas Made demonstrates that Arkansas artists, artisans, and their works not only existed, but are worthy of study, admiration, and reflection.

During her 40-year career, Margit Koppendorfer has designed costumes for the greats of theatre history: characters from Shakespeare, Brecht, and Handke, directed by Berghaus, Peymann, and Tabori, performed in Vienna, Zurich, and Berlin. Margit Koppendorfer: Costume Designs presents Koppendorfer's often life-sized mixed-media design sketches on transparent paper and reveals through these unique illustrations how the costume designer accords identity to the characters. By alienating the real in a visionary way, a latent truth emerges. While author Elfriede Jelinek and actress Maria Happel emphasise in their texts the masterful embodiment of the costumes, and of their characters, Margit Koppendorfer herself says of her work, "I dance into the set with my characters." Text in English and German.

Shaker Fancy Goods tells the story of the Shaker Sisters of the nineteenth and early twentieth century who responded to the economic perils of the Industrial Revolution by inventing a lucrative industry of their own-Fancy Goods, a Victorian term for small adorned household objects made by women for women. Thanks to their work ethic, business savvy, and creativity, the tireless Shaker Sisters turned a seemingly modest trade into the economic engine that sustained their communal way of life, just as the men were abandoning the sect for worldly employment. Relying on journals and church family records that give voice to the plainspoken accounts of the sisters themselves, the book traces the work they did to establish their principal revenue streams, from designing the products, to producing them by hand (and later by machine, when they could do so without compromising quality) to bringing their handcrafts to market. Photographs, painstakingly gathered over years of research from museums and private collections, present the best examples of these fancy goods. Fancy goods include the most modest and domestic of items, like the pen wipes that the Sisters shaped into objects such as dolls, mittens, and flowers; or the emeries, pincushions, and needle books lovingly made back in an era when more than a minimal competency in sewing was expected in women; to more substantial purchases like the Dorothy cloaks that were in demand among fashionable women of the world; or the heavy rib-knitted sweaters, cardigans, and pullovers that became popular items among college boys and adventurous women.

For those seeking inspiration from these striking, tribal rug designs and those who want to own them, this is the perfect guide. It's packed with 235 big, striking color photos, and simply presented as a guide for both would-be buyers and for rug owners seeking the story behind their precious finds. Buying a rug can be a traumatic experience. Author and rug dealer Susan Gomersall sets out to answer the questions you always wanted to ask a rug dealer, but felt too intimidated to do so. Each chapter tells one tribe's story: a little bit of their history, a little bit about their present-day circumstances, and descriptions of the rugs they weave. Both antique and modern rugs can be found in each chapter, and some indication of what these generally cost in a retail situation.

The Handbook Of Dressmaking - 1845 Reprint.

The first book to exclusively present Cleto Munari's latest creations in the field of the applied arts: a unique collection of art carpets. Cleto Munari was born in Gorizia and he lives and works in Vicenza. After meeting Carlo Scarpa in 1973, who encouraged him in his work, he decided to focus his attention on the area of industrial design, and began to work for some of the most important companies in the world. Constantly in search of original ideas, over the years he has tirelessly been engaged in analyzing and experimenting with both forms and material. In 1985 he opened a laboratory-studio-jeweler's, where, together with a group of worldclass architects, he designs and produces silver jewelry and other objects for avant-garde collections that truly represent historical revolutions in jewelry both in Italy and abroad, and have also led to the production of watches, pens and furniture. Cleto Munari's objects have entered the permanent collections of some of the world's top museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. This book is the first to exclusively present Cleto Munari's latest creations in the field of the applied arts. After his jewelery, silverware, watches and furnishings, the great designer has involved ten other designers and artists in the creation of a unique collection of art carpets. Signed by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Dario Fo, Mario Botta, Alessandro Mendini, Javier Mariscal, Ettore Mochetti, Deisa Centazzo, Sandro Chia, Mimmo Paladino and by Cleto Munari himself, these creations are full-fledged works of art and represent the high point of the skills and expertise of one of the greatest creative designers in the world, who has been designing and producing for over forty years.

The international literary icon opens his eclectic closet and shares photos of his extensive unique personal T-shirt collection, accompanied by essays that reveal a side of the writer rarely seen by the public. Haruki Murakami's books have galvanized millions around the world. Many of his fans know about his 10,000-vinyl-record collection, and his obsession with running, but few have heard about a more intimate, and perhaps more unique, passion: his T-shirt-collecting habit. In Murakami T, the famously reclusive novelist shows us his T-shirts - including gems found in bookshops, charity shops and record stores - from those featuring whisky, animals, cars and superheroes, to souvenirs of marathons and a Beach Boys concert in Honolulu, to the shirt that inspired the beloved short story 'Tony Takitani'. Accompanied by short, frank essays that have been translated into English for the first time, these photographs reveal much about Murakami's multifaceted and wonderfully eccentric persona. 'The world's most popular cult novelist' Guardian

From rugged Japanese firemen's ceremonial robes and austere rural work-wear to colorful, delicately-patterned cotton kimonos, this lavishly illustrated volume explores Japan's rich tradition of textiles. Textiles are an eloquent form of cultural expression and of great importance in the daily life of a people, as well as in their rituals and ceremonies. The traditional clothing and fabrics featured in this book were made and used in the islands of the Japanese archipelago between the late 18th and the mid 20th century. The Thomas Murray collection featured in this book includes daily dress, work-wear, and festival garb and follows the Arts and Crafts philosophy of the Mingei Movement, which saw that modernization would leave behind traditional art forms such as the hand-made textiles used by country people, farmers, and fisherman. It presents subtly patterned cotton fabrics, often indigo dyed from the main islands of Honshu and Kyushu, along with garments of the more remote islands: the graphic bark cloth, nettle fiber, and fish skin robes of the aboriginal Ainu in Hokkaido and Sakhalin to the north, and the brilliantly colored cotton kimonos of Okinawa to the far south. Numerous examples of these fabrics, photographed in exquisite detail, offer insight into Japan's complex textile history as well as inspiration for today's designers and artists. This volume explores the range and artistry of the country's tradition of fiber arts and is an essential resource for anyone captivated by the Japanese aesthetic.

Featuring over 450 archival photographs and line drawings, Chinese Dress traces the evolution of Chinese clothing from court and formal costumes to the everyday fashions of twenty-first century China. Author Valery Garrett skillfully weaves the story of Chinese dress in all its variations--elaborately embroidered robes, military uniforms, children's dress, wedding and funeral attire, working clothes, Mao-inspired fashion--against a backdrop of historical, cultural and social change. A comprehensive and sumptuously illustrated book, this book includes images of garments and accessories from museum and private collections, as well as unpublished or little-known archival photos and printed materials. Chapters include: Dress of the Qing Manchu Rulers 1644-1911 Dress of the Manchu Consorts 1644-1911 Attire of Mandarins and Merchants Attire of Chinese Women Republican Dress 1912-1949 Clothing of the Lower Classes Clothing for Children Dress in New China 1950-Present Day For both modern fashion inspiration and accurate historical representation, Chinese Dress is the essential reference for costume historians, fashion designers and collectors, as well as lovers of beautiful clothes!