Collections of textiles-historic costume, quilts, needlework samplers, and the like-have benefited greatly from the digital turn in museum and archival work. Both institutional online repositories and collections-based social media sites have fostered unprecedented access to textile collections that have traditionally been marginalized in museums. How can curators, interpreters, and collections managers make best use of these new opportunities? To answer this question, the author worked with sites including the Great Lakes Quilt Center at the Michigan State University Museum, the Design Center at Philadelphia University, the International Quilt Study Center and Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the WGBH Boston Media Library and Archives, as well as user-curated social sites online such as Tumblr and Polyvore, to create four compelling case studies on the preservation, access, curation, and interpretation of textile objects. The book explores: *The nature of digital material culture. *The role of audience participation versus curatorial authority online. *Audience-friendly collections metadata and tagging. *Visual, rather than text-based, searching and cataloging. *The legality of ownership and access of museum collections online. *Gender equity in museums and archives. This book is essential reading for anyone who cares for, collects, exhibits, or interprets historic costume or textile collections, but its broad implications for the future of museum work make it relevant for anyone with an interest in museum work online. And because the focus of this volume is theory and praxis, rather than specific technologies that are likely to become obsolete, it will be staple on your bookshelf for years to come.

Czech-born Jacqueline Groag (1903-1985) was an incredibly adept textile designer who trained at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna during the 1920s under Franz Cisek and Josef Hoffmann. She produced textile designs for the Wiener Werkstatte and some of the Parisian fashion houses while she lived in Vienna. She married the architect and interior designer Jacques Groag - they made a successful team. However, in 1939 they were compelled to emigrate to the UK. Jacqueline Groag continued to produce textile design work for the British market, and after the war her designs could be seen at numerous outlets such as David Whitehead, Grafton, John Lewis and Liberty. For more than 20 years she worked as a freelance designer, supplying designs for carpets, greetings cards, laminates, plastics, textiles, wallpapers and wrapping papers to many firms including Bond-Worth Carpets, British European Airways, the British Overseas Airways Corporation, Dunlop, ICI and London Transport. In 1984 she became a Fellow of the Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry. She was a prodigious and successful designer to the end of her life. Along with Lucienne Day and Marian Mahler she is seen as central to a new and exciting development in textile design in the 1950s. Together their work is featured in a major exhibition 'Designing Women' which begins in Colorado Springs in September 2008. This is a ground breaking publication on the work of this highly important and influential designer.

Collections of textiles-historic costume, quilts, needlework samplers, and the like-have benefited greatly from the digital turn in museum and archival work. Both institutional online repositories and collections-based social media sites have fostered unprecedented access to textile collections that have traditionally been marginalized in museums. How can curators, interpreters, and collections managers make best use of these new opportunities? To answer this question, the author worked with sites including the Great Lakes Quilt Center at the Michigan State University Museum, the Design Center at Philadelphia University, the International Quilt Study Center and Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the WGBH Boston Media Library and Archives, as well as user-curated social sites online such as Tumblr and Polyvore, to create four compelling case studies on the preservation, access, curation, and interpretation of textile objects. The book explores: *The nature of digital material culture. *The role of audience participation versus curatorial authority online. *Audience-friendly collections metadata and tagging. *Visual, rather than text-based, searching and cataloging. *The legality of ownership and access of museum collections online. *Gender equity in museums and archives. This book is essential reading for anyone who cares for, collects, exhibits, or interprets historic costume or textile collections, but its broad implications for the future of museum work make it relevant for anyone with an interest in museum work online. And because the focus of this volume is theory and praxis, rather than specific technologies that are likely to become obsolete, it will be staple on your bookshelf for years to come.

A collection of traditional eighteenth and nineteenth century weaving drafts, written sequences of the threading order on the loom used to create specific patterns. They are presented here in their original form as gathered by Frances L. Goodrich and illustrated in over 160 color photos. This volume also contains over 200 valuable modern translations of the same drafts for use by today's weavers. In 1890, Frances L. Goodrich came to the southern mountains in North Carolina from a life of culture to live and work among people who had little opportunity for education or social enrichment. Through her work for the Presbyterian Home Mission Board, she grew to love and respect these neighbors who worked so hard and had so little. She established schools, a small hospital, and the Allanstand Cottage Industries. As she traveled the mountain roads and trails on horseback, Miss Goodrich collected these precious weaving drafts from the women who wove for Allanstand Cottage Industries. In your hands is the heart of that collection.

This unchanged hardback edition of our richly illustrated publication walks the reader through the different aspects of printed textile design as a process and a profession. The intention of this book is to present an overall panorama of the world of printed textile design. The authors--both design school teachers responsible for textile design training at the prestigious fashion, textile and luxury goods design school, Francoise Conte (Paris, France)--describe the areas of activity and involvement of the textile designer to help the reader understand the ins and outs of the profession, especially within the fashion and the home sector. They pay special attention to current tendencies and offer an excellent insight on how to interpret trends, which is essential for making a living in this profession. The book also includes a presentation of the stages of project design, creation and execution.The featured projects provide the reader with outstanding explanatory case studies and exercises in every chapter. This textbook is a key aid for design teachers, students and young professionals. It also includes a highly useful list of schools, professional publications and organizations.

This beautiful and inspirational book written by a doyenne of British textile design explores the art of painting and making patterns on cloth. Fabrics bring colour and vibrance to our lives, adding inventiveness and charm to both our clothes and our domestic interiors. In this book, lifelong textile designer Sarah Campbell takes you through her world of pattern and colour to uncover the joys of design from dots, stripes and checks to more surprising decorative solutions. Beautifully illustrated with Sarah's colourful and internationally acclaimed work, her fabric designs show the comforting rhythm and universal language of pattern. - Learn how to create your own unique designs using a range of tools and techniques including brushes and potato-cuts, stencils and simple 'kitchen cupboard' resists. - Explore the delights of painting on different fabrics such as cotton, linen, silk and calico/muslin. - Develop your understanding of scale, colour, tonality and the organisation of pattern ideas, alongside suggestions on how to use your finished fabrics.

Crochet your own costumes, familiar creatures, and classic artifacts from the Harry Potter films in this follow up companion to the bestselling Harry Potter: Knitting Magic. Conjure the magic of the Wizarding World with your crochet hook with this deluxe collection of more than 20 official patterns for toys, keepsakes, and costume replicas inspired by the Harry Potter films. A comprehensive, officially licensed guide to crocheting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Harry Potter: Crochet Wizardry includes projects for every skill level and a wide range of stitches and techniques featuring yarn expertly matched to the true colors used in the films. Harry Potter: Crochet Wizardry also includes behind-the-scenes facts and quotes from the films, as well as concept art and film stills to inspire your creativity and relive favorite movie moments. With beautiful full-color photography, step-by-step instructions, and clearly presented charts and schematics, Harry Potter: Crochet Wizardry is the ultimate crocheter's guide to the Wizarding World.

In this innovative collaborative ethnography of Italian-Chinese ventures in the fashion industry, Lisa Rofel and Sylvia J. Yanagisako offer a new methodology for studying transnational capitalism. Drawing on their respective linguistic and regional areas of expertise, Rofel and Yanagisako show how different historical legacies of capital, labor, nation, and kinship are crucial in the formation of global capitalism. Focusing on how Italian fashion is manufactured, distributed, and marketed by Italian-Chinese ventures and how their relationships have been complicated by China's emergence as a market for luxury goods, the authors illuminate the often-overlooked processes that produce transnational capitalism-including privatization, negotiation of labor value, rearrangement of accumulation, reconfiguration of kinship, and outsourcing of inequality. In so doing, Fabricating Transnational Capitalism reveals the crucial role of the state and the shifting power relations between nations in shaping the ideas and practices of the Italian and Chinese partners.

In the ancient city of Kyoto, contemporary artisans and designers are using heritage techniques and traditional clothing aesthetics to reinvent wafuku (Japanese clothing, including kimono) for modern life. Japan Beyond the Kimono explores these shifts, highlighting developments in the Kyoto fashion industry such as its integration of digital weaving and printing techniques and the influence of social media on fashion distribution systems. Through case studies of designers, artisans, and retailers, Jenny Hall provides a comprehensive picture of the reasons behind the production and consumption of these rejuvenated fashion goods. She argues that conceptualisations of Japanese tradition include innovation and change, which is vital to understanding how Japanese cultural heritage is both sustained and evolving. Essential reading for students and scholars of fashion, anthropology, and Japanese studies, Jenny Hall's sensory ethnography is the first of its kind, describing the lived experiences of people in the Kyoto textiles industry, explaining the renewal of traditional techniques and styles, and placing them both within contexts such as transnational 'craftscapes' and fast or slow fashion systems.

Hmong story cloths provide a visual documentation of the historical and cultural legacy of the Hmong people from the country of Laos. The Hmong first began making the story cloths during their time in refugee camps, and featured here are 48 vibrant story cloths that provide a comprehensive look at their lives and culture. The creation of a story cloth begins with the selection of fabric and images outlined onto the fabric. Long satin stitches of multi-colored threads fill in the image, while details are applied with intricate satin stitches and borders pieced together and hand-stitched. Topics include history, traditional life in Laos, Hmong New Year, folk tales, and neighboring people. The quality and diversity of content of the story cloths build upon one another to provide a holistic understanding of the Hmong culture and history. Augmented with personal stories and artifacts, this book is perfect for history buffs and textile artisans alike.

In the first ever book devoted to a critical investigation of the personal style blogosphere, Minh-Ha T. Pham examines the phenomenal rise of elite Asian bloggers who have made a career of posting photographs of themselves wearing clothes on the Internet. Pham understands their online activities as "taste work" practices that generate myriad forms of capital for superbloggers and the brands they feature. A multifaceted and detailed analysis, Asians Wear Clothes on the Internet addresses questions concerning the status and meaning of "Asian taste" in the early twenty-first century, the kinds of cultural and economic work Asian tastes do, and the fashion public and industry's appetite for certain kinds of racialized eliteness. Situating blogging within the historical context of gendered and racialized fashion work while being attentive to the broader cultural, technological, and economic shifts in global consumer capitalism, Asians Wear Clothes on the Internet has profound implications for understanding the changing and enduring dynamics of race, gender, and class in shaping some of the most popular work practices and spaces of the digital fashion media economy.

The paperback edition of this captivating story of Tudor dress, and the people who made and wore it The Tudors are some of the best-known figures in history. They continue, even today, to spark our curiosity and imagination. Their enduring popularity is no doubt partly due to the iconic portraits in which they are depicted, in farthingales and ruffs, furs and jewels, codpieces and cloaks, and vast expanses of velvet and silk. Far from being mere decoration, fashion was pivotal in the communication of status and power. This paperback edition of Tudor Fashion presents insights into the fashions of the Tudor dynasty. Histories of Kings and Queens complement stories of unsung dressmakers, laundresses, and officials charged with maintaining and transporting the immense Tudor wardrobes from palace to palace. Evidence from rare surviving garments and textiles, original documents, fine and decorative art, and archaeological findings enhance our understanding of the Tudors and their courts. Handsomely illustrated, this sumptuous book contextualizes Tudor dress and fills in gaps in our knowledge of the period and its fascinating historical figures. Published in association with Historic Royal Palaces

Creativity is an integral part of human history, yet most studies focus on the modern era, leaving unresolved questions about the formative role that creativity has played in the past. This book explores the fundamental nature of creativity in the European Bronze Age. Considering developments in crafts that we take for granted today, such as pottery, textiles, and metalwork, the volume compares and contrasts various aspects of their development, from the construction of the materials themselves, through the production processes, to the design and effects deployed in finished objects. It explores how creativity is closely related to changes in material culture, how it directs responses to the new and unfamiliar, and how it has resulted in changes to familiar things and practices. Written by an international team of scholars, the case studies in this volume consider wider issues and provide detailed insights into creative solutions found in specific objects.

Spanning more than five decades of fabric design, Plaids is an invaluable visual reference guide for designers. With more than 550 full-color photographs of printed and woven plaids, this colorful book provides a sweeping survey of plaid fabric designs, from the standard checks and gingham patterns to the farthest reaches of designers' imaginations. Special sections detail variations in plaid styles, including imitation weaves, hound's-tooth, harlequin, florals, and novelty prints. The book also includes French and Italian couture fabrics and more than 150 traditional Scottish tartans. Plaids is the most comprehensive pictorial guide ever produced on the subject.

Clothing and accessories from nineteenth-century China reveal much about women's participation in the commercialization of textile handicrafts and the flourishing of urban popular culture. Focusing on women's work and fashion, A Fashionable Century presents an array of visually compelling clothing and accessories neglected by traditional histories of Chinese dress, examining these products' potential to illuminate issues of gender and identity. In the late Qing, the expansion of production systems and market economies transformed the Chinese fashion system, widening access to fashionable techniques, materials, and imagery. Challenging the conventional production model, in which women embroidered items at home, Silberstein sets fashion within a process of commercialization that created networks of urban guilds, commercial workshops, and subcontracted female workers. These networks gave rise to new trends influenced by performance and prints, and they offered women opportunities to participate in fashion and contribute to local economies and cultures. Rachel Silberstein draws on vernacular and commercial sources, rather than on the official and imperial texts prevalent in Chinese dress history, to demonstrate that in these fascinating objects-regulated by market desires, rather than imperial edict-fashion formed at the intersection of commerce and culture. A Fashionable Century is the winner of the Costume Society of America's Millia Davenport Publication Award and was long-listed for the Textile Society of America's R. L. Shep Award. The judges described the book as "an extraordinary achievement in scholarship working with source materials that are little-known outside of China and not otherwise available in English."

Learn the fascinating history of a distinct style of needlework fashionable in Victorian America from approximately 1877 to 1912. Read how it began, learn the techniques used to create it, and gain detailed information to identify it. This is the compelling story of one woman's ingenuity and steadfast belief that she could make a difference in the lives of women with serious economic need -- the fundamental need for sustenance. Candace Wheeler conceived the idea and saw it succeed beyond her wildest expectations. Embroidering these strikingly beautiful and lifelike silk floral designs became an innovative opportunity for women to earn their own living. Featured is an extraordinary collection of anitque linens embroidered with incredible skill and shown in 383 images, including embroidery books, magazines, and other period items that help explain the story. They demonstrate why art embroidery has become popular with collectors today, apart from its sheer beauty. This awe-inspiring story of noble endeavor and the embroidery style itself is a feast for the senses.

More than 500 images explore the free-form embroidered creations of the tribal people of India's renown Gujarat Province. Dating back 30 to 100 years, they include original garments, temple offerings, welcome banners, and second-generation quilted works that combine precious remnants for new decorative uses. These items have trickled onto the world market where they are treasured by decorators and collectors. Textile artists, designers, and ethnologists alike will delight in these examples of the boundless imaginations of itinerant tribal women who make much of little in their elaborate, mica and bead-studded creations. Abstract, geometric, floral, and religious imagery celebrates the boundless exuberance of their quest for beauty.

An updated edition of this indispensable reference, surveying the history of textiles from 25,000 years ago to the present. The history of textiles, more than that of any other artefact, is a history of human ingenuity. From the very earliest needles of 50,000 years ago to the smart textiles of today, textiles have been fundamental to human existence, and enjoyed, prized and valued by every culture. Silks from China, cottons from India, tapestries from Flanders, dyes from South America - the appeal of different weaves, colours and patterns was long a motivation for trade, the exchange of ideas and sometimes even war. Mary Schoeser's groundbreaking book, now revised and updated to incorporate new research, presents a chronological survey of textiles around the world from prehistory to the present. It explores how they are made, what they are made from, how they function in society and the ways in which they are valued and given meaning as well as reflecting on the environmental challenges they present today. World Textiles offers an invaluable introduction to this vast and fascinating subject for makers, designers, textile and fashion professionals, collectors and students alike.

Quilting, once regarded as a traditional craft, has broken through the barriers of history, art and commerce to become a global phenomenon, international multi-billion dollar industry and means of gendered cultural production. In Quilting, sociologist and quilter Marybeth C. Stalp explores how and why women quilt.
This close ethnographic study illustrates that women's lives can be transformed in often surprising ways by the activity and art of quilting. Some women who quilt as a leisure pastime are too afraid to admit to being a quilter for fear of ridicule; others boldly identify themselves as quilters and regard it as part of their everyday lives.
The place of quilting in women's lives affects core family and personal identity issues such as marriage, childcare, friendship and aging. The book's accessible and intimate portrayal of real quilters' lives provides a fabric for the sociology, anthropology and textile student to understand more about wider issues of cultural production and identity that stem from this very personal pastime.

The Complete Guide to Designing and Printing Fabric is a comprehensive handbook covering everything there is to know about designing and printing fabric. The book walks readers through the entire fabric design process, from finding inspiration, through step-by-step tutorials on how to design a pattern (both digitally and by hand), looking at different printing methods (such as digital printing, screenprinting, monoprinting, stamping, stencilling, resis dying, painting and inkjet printing), to establishing and developing a fabric collection, and approaching a manufacturer. The Complete Guide to Designing and Printing Fabric is full of advice from established fabric designers with clear, easy to follow step-by-step tutorials. Textile design is a competitive industry and learning how to design fabric is something that both designers and crafters with an avid interest in fabrics are keen to learn more about. Companies such as Spoon Flower (spoon.flower.com) have emerged, offering customers an affordable way to design and print their own fabric: upload a design and they digitally print the fabric for you. This accessibility means fabric design is increasingly popular.

This book interprets the fiber art and craft-inspired sculpture by eight US and Latin American women artists whose works incite embodied affective experience. Grounded in the work of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, John Corso-Esquivel posits craft as a material act of intuition. The book provocatively asserts that fiber art-long disparaged in the wake of the high-low dichotomy of late Modernism-is, in fact, well-positioned to lead art at the vanguard of affect theory and twenty-first-century feminist subjectivities.

A groundbreaking, informative, and thought-provoking exploration of fur's fashionable and controversial history The first and only book of its kind, Fur: A Sensitive History looks at the impact of fur on society, politics, and, of course, fashion. This material has a long, complex, and rich history, culminating in recent and ongoing anti-fur debates. Jonathan Faiers discusses how fur-long praised for its warmth, softness, and connotation of status-became so controversial, at the center of campaigns against animal cruelty and the movement toward ethical fashion. At the same time, fake fur now faces a backlash of its own, given the environmental impact of its manufacture and its links to fast fashion. Divided into five sections-dedicated to hair, pelt, coat, skin, and fleece-the book surveys not only the politics of fur but also its centrality to western fashion, the tactile pleasure it gives, and its use in literature, art, and film. This thoughtfully reasoned, eloquently written, and spectacularly illustrated examination of fur is both timely and essential, filling a gap in fashion scholarship and appealing to a broad audience.

Slip into a bold and colorful era in cloth design. Once fashionable decorative fabrics for the home, these large and sometimes splashy print designs were used for drapery, upholstery, slipcover, and tablecloth fabrics. Designs prevalent in the 1950s included tropical scenes, American West motifs, sports and sporting events, nautical and boating themes, kitchen designs, and exotic foreign destinations. Often customized for specific rooms, some fabrics feature typical "den," "kitchen," or "child's bedroom" themes. Included are more than 250 color photographs of vintage conversational or novelty prints with full descriptions, along with drapery and fabric-covered furnishings available from Sears Catalogs. This colorful book offers a glimpse of fabric designs available for the average home in the 1950s.