This sumptuous and inspiring book, written by needlework expert Trish Burr and created in association with The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is a stunning, contemporary guide to embroidering flowers. All the reusable iron-on transfers needed are kept safely together with the book in an attractive hardback folder. Focusing mainly on long-and-short stitch and Trish's delicate, considered use of silk shading, the book contains all the clearly-illustrated stitches needed, and gives thorough advice on preparation and choosing fabrics and threads - including a handy thread conversion chart. The embroideries are reworkings of botanical artworks from Kew's Art Collection. There is one 'starter' project to encourage readers to try out the techniques, one large sampler containing 18 small elements that can be worked individually or as a group, and nine further projects - including a striking spider chrysanthemum, an elegant waterlily and an opulent magnolia. All the projects are shown step-by-step, with an order of work diagram given where appropriate. The enclosed reusable iron-on transfer papers offer embroiderers a fast and accurate method of transferring the designs - the transfers simply need ironing on to fabric so that the reader can start embroidering straight away. The templates are also included at full size at the back of the book. This stunning yet practical book is a must-have for anyone interested in capturing flowers in thread.

Alysn Midgelow-Marsden shows how to use both textile-based and mixed media techniques to create beautiful artworks using metal in the form of shim, foil and woven fabric alongside many other materials. She shares her expertise in an inspiring variety of techniques from free machine stitching to gilding, embossing, needle felting, beading, printing, applique, making stitched foil fabric and using dry decal transfer images. There are seven beautiful projects to inspire and instruct textile artists everywhere, including a lampshade, bauble pods, decorative panels and a tablet cover. Artists can take inspiration from the individual surfaces that make up the pieces, the completed projects, and from the developments from each project, which have full, instructive captions. This is an invaluable resource for textile artists looking for new and beautiful ideas. This book was previously published as part of the Textile Artist series.

Focusing on a single Malian textile identified variously as bogolanfini, bogolan, or mudcloth, Victoria L. Rovine traces the dramatic technical and stylistic innovations that have transformed the cloth from its village origins into a symbol of new internationalism. Rovine shows how the biography of this uniquely African textile reveals much about contemporary culture in urban Africa and about the global markets in which African art circulates. Bogolan has become a symbol of national and ethnic identities, an element of contemporary, urban fashion, and a lucrative product in tourist art markets. At the heart of this beautifully illustrated book are the artists, changing notions of tradition, nationalism, and the value of cloth making and marketing on a worldwide scale.

Cultural Threads considers contemporary artists and designers who work at the intersection of cultures and use textiles as their vehicle. Ideas about belonging to multiple cultures, which can result in a sense of connection to everywhere and nowhere, are more pertinent to society today than ever. So too are the layers of history - often overlooked - behind the objects that make up our material world. The roots of postcolonial theory lie in literature and have, in the past, been communicated through dense academic jargon. Cultural Threads breaks with what can read as impenetrable rhetoric to show the rich visual diversity of craft and art that engages with multiple cultural influences. Many of these objects exist in an in-between world of their own, not wholly embraced by the establishments of art, nor functional objects in the conventional sense of craft. Cultural Threads is an exploration of contemporary textiles and their relationship with postcolonial culture. However, the postcolonial thinking examined here shares with craft an interest in the lived, rather than the purely theoretical, giving a very human account of the interactions in between craft and culture.

The Great Tapestry of Scotland is an outstanding celebration of thousands of years of Scottish history and achievement, from the end of the last Ice Age to Dolly the Sheep and Andy Murry's Wimbledon victory of 2013. The 1000+ stitches spent a total of 55, 000 sewing hours on the 160 panels that make up this extraordinary work of art. This book shows in full colour all the finished panels of the tapestry - one of the biggest community arts projects ever to take place in Scotland - together with descriptive and explanatory material on each panel and lists of all the stitchers involved.

The result of athree-year research project, this highly illustrated scholarlycatalogue provides full details of place and date of production,materials and technique, provenance and exhibition history.The work will become a benchmark for future research andinterpretation of tapestries of the period.

A creative and practical guide on how to get in touch with your local natural world to create thoughtful works of textile art. Filled with projects and step-by-step techniques, this book is perfect for textile students and professionals alike. Renowned quilter and textile artist Helen Parrott explores the creative potential of your local surroundings and teaches you the processes and techniques used to create beautiful textile artworks. Drawing on the Slow Stitch movement, she explains how mark-making techniques can be used meditatively to record personal lives and surroundings influenced by seasonal changes of colour, energy and light. She encourages you to connect to your own locality, whether it be urban or rural, at home or on holiday, and its specific seasonal aspects in order to create a personal, working cycle of textile art. The book is divided into seasons; from learning how to spot the first signs of Spring to recording seasonal characteristics - equinox through to solstice - Helen teaches you how to be in tune with your environment. Each location will have different signs, so each artwork will truly be unique. Techniques and projects are also covered in this book: she first teaches you the basics of both hand and machine stitch techniques, working with free-form stitching, chain stitch, corded quilting and then moves onto applique, blackwork and dyeing. The techniques build in complexity ending with pieced textiles and collages. Helen also explores how to work with dot and line, repeating patterns, light and shadow, colour (and lack of colour), plant structures and people in landscapes. The last chapter consolidates techniques you've learnt in the book and showcases finished works from her exhibitions, as well as the Bradford Textile Archive, to help you better understand where inspiration leads.

The history of men's needlework has long been considered a taboo subject. This is the first book ever published to document and critically interrogate a range of needlework made by men. It reveals that since medieval times men have threaded their own needles, stitched and knitted, woven lace, handmade clothes, as well as other kinds of textiles, and generally delighted in the pleasures and possibilities offered by all sorts of needlework. Only since the dawn of the modern age, in the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries, did needlework become closely aligned with new ideologies of the feminine. Since then men's needlework has been read not just as feminising but as queer. In this groundbreaking study Joseph McBrinn argues that needlework by male artists as well as anonymous tailors, sailors, soldiers, convalescents, paupers, prisoners, hobbyists and a multitude of other men and boys deserves to be looked at again. Drawing on a wealth of examples of men's needlework, as well as visual representations of the male needleworker, in museum collections, from artist's papers and archives, in forgotten magazines and specialist publications, popular novels and children's literature, and even in the history of photography, film and television, he surveys and analyses many of the instances in which "needlemen" have contested, resisted and subverted the constrictive ideals of modern masculinity. This audacious, original, carefully researched and often amusing study, demonstrates the significance of needlework by men in understanding their feelings, agency, identity and history.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

A visual goldmine for designers of original print, weave and embellishment, Sourcing Ideas for Textile Design will help you generate new ideas, develop them methodically and finally create beautifully designed textiles. The carefully selected range of images illustrate how to use visual information in this process from a variety of sources, breaking down the process into key themes - colour, surface, structure, texture and pattern. This second edition includes: * case studies and interviews with insight into visual research and development from revered practising designers, including Dries Van Noten and Reiko Sudo; * Spotlight sections offer historical or cultural perspectives on each point in the process; and, * new coverage of material investigation, colour analysis, presentation and curation, as well as advice on IP and copyright. You'll also be guided through the three stages of textile design where you will: * generate your idea; * work to develop it; and, * create your developed idea in the studio. By engaging with this approach, and exploring new ways of seeing ordinary things through the key themes, you'll learn to create incredible effects in your textile design.

Knitting and crochet have long been considered forms of folk art, but in the 21st century, these time-honoured crafts are breaking away from the outdated stereotype of cosy domesticity. Whether miniature or oversized, multi-coloured or monochrome, abstract or naturalistic, intimate or exhibitionist, knitted works are now invading galleries, museums and other public spaces. Yarn has become a medium for artistic expression as valid and multifaceted as painting, sculpture or photography. Showcasing forty international artists who incorporate knitting, crochet and more into their practice, this book provides a survey of yarn work in contemporary art, illustrating the huge range of ways in which these techniques have been embraced as a form of creative expression. Some artists evoke a kind of nostalgia, rediscovering skills that have fallen from fashion or promoting the value of ancient handicrafts in an industrialized world of mass-production. Others push the boundaries of knitting by using non-traditional materials such as rope or wire, or by using its sculptural potential to tackle themes that are political, personal or transgressive. Although often associated with feelings of warmth, enclosure and familial love, yarn can also represent the ties that bind us together or a membrane that protects us from the world. Packed with striking images, this book demonstrates how knitting needles and crochet hooks can created works of art that are challenging and unique, forcing us to take a fresh look at our own lives and beliefs and at the objects that surround us every day.

The village of Metsovo, called Amintziou in the Vlach language, is one of the most famous traditional settlements in Greece. Nestled in the heart of the Pindos mountain range, Metsovo owes its fame to the beauty of the landscape and the uniqueness of its hand-woven textiles. This book deals with the secrets of the weaving of Metsovo, which are presented in a simple, yet elegant manner. The subject is not only treated from a strictly technical and aesthetic point of view, but consideration is also given to the various interpretations of it, its symbols, and role of weaving as a factor in the everyday life of Metsovo. Representative examples of domestic textiles and traditional costumes from the Collection of the Laographic Museum of the Baron M. Tositsa Foundation are described in succinct, authoritative texts, accompanied by impressive, lavish illustrations, which introduce us to the beauty of the art and tradition of the weaving of Metsovo. A final section includes detailed drawings and descriptions of the decorative motifs and designs used in the woven textiles.

A captivating look at Parisian fashions of the 1960s and how the ready-to-wear revolution influenced haute couture The 1960s was one of the most exciting periods in fashion history, as shifting cultural paradigms were embraced by a generation of designers that challenged conventions and reinvented the fashion industry. This compelling volume focuses on the important but too often dismissed fashions that were created in Paris during this time. From the early couture designs of Yves Saint Laurent that initiated a trend toward a more relaxed and youthful style, to the popularity of ready-to-wear fashions by Emmanuelle Khanh - part of a new group known as the stylists - this book traces the development of Parisian fashion during the 1960s and its continuing legacy. Colleen Hill features eye-catching images from Elle and Vogue, as well as stunning examples of fashion from The Museum at FIT's world-class collection. She provides an in-depth look at the combined influences of French haute couture, ready-to-wear, and popular culture during this era. In doing so, she describes how the dominance of haute couture was challenged by the ready-to-wear movement, resulting in the rise of a vibrant, youthful, and modern aesthetic in Parisian fashion. Published in association with The Fashion Institute of Technology, New York Exhibition Schedule: The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York (February-April 2017)

Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel (1883-1971) was undoubtedly the most influential fashion designer of the 20th century. Her clothes and accessories have remained perennially chic, and her legendary fashion house continues to exert a powerful sway over today's designers. Jerome Gautier tells the story of Chanel's iconic style through hundreds of images, many taken by the leading lights of fashion photography, including Richard Avedon, Gilles Bensimon, Patrick Demarchelier, Horst P. Horst, Annie Leibovitz, Man Ray, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, and Ellen von Unwerth. This innovative volume pairs classic and contemporary photographs, placing fashion plates from Chanel's time alongside those by the house's designer-in-chief, Karl Lagerfeld. For instance, Cecil Beaton's portrait of Chanel appears alongside Lagerfeld's image of Cate Blanchett emulating her, and a classic plate by Henry Clarke flanks an arresting shot by Juergen Teller.

Through these dazzling photographs, "Chanel: The Vocabulary of Style" identifies key elements that have defined Chanel's style for generations, such as jersey and tweed, formerly considered menswear fabrics, and the little black dress, which transformed a hue previously reserved for mourning into a statement of elegance. Pearls were her staple, and she often embellished outfits with her signature camellia. Eleven chapters compare the original forms of these enduring trademarks with their later expressions over the years and to the present day, letting the vocabulary of Chanel's style speak for itself.

Digital Textile Design, Second Edition covers everything students and practitioners of textile design will need to learn about designing and printing digitally. Written specifically for textile designers, Digital Textile Design, Second Edition provides the know-how for students and professionals who wish to use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator as design tools. A series of inspirational tutorials, presented in step-by-step format, guide the reader through the process of creating designs that will be suited to both the traditional textile production process and to digital printing onto fabric. The book examines how designers can access the techniques of digital textile printing, looking at the work of those currently exploring its possibilities, and provides an insight into the technology involved. With a stunning new design, this edition has been updated in line with the latest developments in Adobe Creative Suite and contains new images throughout.

The volume, starting from the celebrated and fascinating Portrait of a Lady from the Poldi Pezzoli museum in Milan, one of the greatest masterpieces of Florentine portraiture from the latter half of the 15th century, investigates the art of the Pollaiolo brothers: Antonio, a goldsmith, painter and sculptor, and the most famous of the three; Piero, a painter; and Silvestro, who died young and was soon forgotten. Based on in- depth scientific analyses and research conducted on the methods of execution and materials used for the wide range of different works issued from the Pollaiolo brothers' workshop, the volume presents paintings, drawings, engravings, sculptures, bronzes, and objects of applied art.

The delightful patterns collected in this book, which have been created by talented designers from all over the world, are inspired by botanic shapes, the animal kingdom, geometry or abstract forms. The book presents the work of fifty designers who specialize in the field, and it includes interviews in which a selection of professionals share their design philosophy and work process. It focuses especially on home interiors, textiles, wallpaper, home accessories and fashion. Whether they are vibrant blooms or dazzling triangles, and whether they have a clean Scandinavian air or a delicate Japanese touch, the irresistible designs contained in this collection will offer the reader endless delight and heaps of inspiration for decoration and fashion fans and professionals.

"What more glorious claim to fame could there be than Milliner to the Queen? ", asks Stephane Bern in his preface to this exclusive book marking the 30th anniversary of MAISON FABIENNE DELVIGNE. The book traces the exceptional career of Fabienne Delvigne, the Belgian entrepreneur, hat designer and craftswoman who creates highend luxury products. Across Europe, Fabienne Delvigne's designs sublimate the beauty of women. Her unique talent was recognised in 2001, when she gained the trust of the Belgian royal family, who awarded her the coveted title of Warrant Holder of the Court of Belgium. In this book, Fabienne casts a refined and joyful gaze on the world of fashion, and introduces us into her world, a world made up encounters, hard work, inspiring walks, and the joy of practising her craft every day. An original and exhilarating volume that not only looks back on the milliner's career, but also reveals a woman of character who defends an artistic heritage while being of her time. Since 2008, alongside her Haute Couture collections, she has designed, for each season, a Studio Collection composed of stylish, pret-a-porter hats. The body of the text? The words that helped her fashion her creative universe. The spirit moving that body? Passion, her passions. Anecdotes, recollections, previously unseen projects, a behind-the-scenes view of the creator's artistry, a look back on her collaborations with such leading companies as Guerlain and BMW, and, of course, hats to go mad for! This book has been released to mark the 30th anniversary of Maison Fabienne Delvigne, with forewords provided by Stephane Bern and Diane von Furstenberg. Readers will discover the passion that drives this Belgian entrepreneur, a perfectionist to the very tips of her scissors. A Warrant Holder of several European Courts, Fabienne also designs hats for all the elegantes who enter her Brussels boudoir workshop. Leafing through the book, readers will not fail to appreciate her unique and fascinating journey.

An essential resource for any designer, crafter, artist, or historian, The Complete Pattern Dictionary is the most comprehensive, practical, and beautiful directory of patterns throughout history, covering all periods, styles, and cultures. Throughout history, patterns have come in countless permutations of motif, color, and scale. From the first rhythmic marks pressed onto clay vessels, to the latest digital design, pattern-making has been an essential part of the decorative arts since time immemorial. With 1500 illustrations of patterns from all ages and cultures, The Complete Pattern Dictionary is not only a visual feast, it is the most comprehensive resource available on the subject. The book is arranged thematically according to pattern type, with chapters on Flora, Fauna, Pictorial, Geometric, and Abstract designs. Each pattern includes the name of the pattern, the year of its creation, and a brief description. The categories are supplemented by in-depth features highlighting the work of key designers including William Morris, Sonia Delaunay, Charles and Ray Eames, Lucienne Day, and Orla Kiely, as well as sections detailing the characteristic motifs of key period styles from Baroque to Art Deco.

Essential in the everyday lives of all societies for providing protection and warmth, textiles also fulfill social, cultural, military, legal, and symbolic functions and have played a key role in the economic activity of societies from ancient times. This magnificent two-volume study brings together the leading experts on textiles from eight countries, ensuring authoritative coverage of the production and uses of textiles in western societies from the earliest times to the present day. With contributions from archaeologists, economic and social historians, historians of fashion and the history of dress, and museum curators, no other book offers the breadth of coverage of this one, in terms of time period, subject matter, or approach. The book's range and accessibility will ensure that it is a key reference for specialists and non-specialists alike. David Jenkins is Senior Lecturer in Economic History in the Department of Economics and Related Studies at the University of York. He is also Governor and Company Secretary of the Pasold Research Fund, which promotes research and publication in the history of textiles in the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Jenkins has a special interest in the wool textile industry, where his major contribution is (with the late K.G. Ponting) The British Wool Textile Industry, 1880-1914 (Ashgate Publishing Company, 1982). For several years Jenkins was a member of Council and Honorary Secretary of the Economic History Society and is a member of the Editorial Board of Textile History.

Part of the mission of Loro Piana, the Italian luxury clothing and textile company, is to source its materials in the most sustainable and responsible ways, while still remaining innovative and producing goods of the highest quality. The latest textile treasure discovered by Loro Piana grows in the waters of Inle Lake in eastern Myanmar: the fibre of the lotus flower. This extraordinary raw material of vegetable origin is obtained from the aquatic plant that was sacred to the Buddha. The Intha people, "children of the lake," use ancient techniques passed down across generations to transform the fibers into a very fine thread - working exclusively by hand.
In six chapters of photographs, the volume leads the reader through the magic hills of the Shan plateau and among lake pile-dwellings, where the slow rhythm of a timeless existence in total harmony with nature is measured out in the harvesting of the lotus, the catching of fish and the cultivation of fruits and vegetables in floating gardens.
Every year during the rainy season, the Intha harvest the stems of the lotus flower and extract the fibers that will be spun into thread, just over a hundred grams in a full day's work, performed according to the slow rhythm of tradition. By using this thread in their products. Loro Piana hopes that this tradition will now become a source of livelihood for future populations as well.

WINNER OF A CHOICE OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC TITLE AWARD 2018 In the early twentieth century, Marguerite Zorach and Georgiana Brown Harbeson were at the forefront of the modern embroidery movement in the United States. In the first scholarly examination of their work and influence, Cynthia Fowler explores the arguments presented by these pioneering women and their collaborators for embroidery to be considered as art. Using key exhibitions and contemporary criticism, The Modern Embroidery Movement focuses extensively on the individual work of Zorach and Brown Harbeson, casting a new light on their careers. Documenting a previously marginalised movement, Fowler brings together the history of craft, art and women's rights and firmly establishes embroidery as a significant aspect of modern art.

This beautiful, practical guide to creating and embellishing embroidered boxes is written by Heather Lewis, a tutor with the Royal School of Needlework. It contains a history of the embroidered box, from the seventeenth century to the present day, and features techniques and guidance for needleworkers wishing to apply their skills to a practical application of the craft. There are three projects to try: a small treasure chest with a curved lid, embroidered dragonfly detail and a false floor; a hexagonal box with a beautiful embroidered lid depicting afternoon tea, and an intricate stumpwork casket with a mirror in the lid and a hidden drawer. Each has a template and extensive instructions for preparation, embroidery and construction.

Never-before-seen photos of McQueen's brilliantly creative world from an exclusive backstage photographer Alexander McQueen, the iconic designer whose untimely death in 2010 left the fashion world reeling and fans worldwide clamoring for more, fused immense creativity, audacity, and a hauntingly dark aesthetic sense into powerful, unforgettable imagery. The strange, singular beauty of his clothing was matched by the spectacle of his legendary fashion shows, which demonstrated his outstanding showmanship and consistently pushed the boundaries of runway events. Robert Fairer's intimate, vibrant full-color photographs of McQueen's collections, taken backstage and on the catwalk when few photographers were allowed access, offer a unique insight into the life and work of one of the world's most captivating figures. This previously unpublished portfolio of stunning, high-energy photographs captures the people and the spirit that made the designer's flamboyant shows unique. Fairer, Vogue's backstage fashion photographer for over a decade, was an integral part of the whirl of activity behind the scenes. These images, which capture both the glamor and the grit, represent a new genre of fashion photography and are a treasure-trove of inspiration. This superb book contains an introduction and collections texts by fashion expert Claire Wilcox. Dynamic images of McQueen's collections--thirty of his total of thirty-six shows are presented chronologically--portray behind-the-scenes moments that reveal stylists, models, hairdressers, makeup artists, and McQueen himself at their most candid and creative.