New approaches to what is arguably the most famous artefact from the Middle Ages. In the past two decades, scholarly assessment of the Bayeux Tapestry has moved beyond studies of its sources and analogues, dating, origin and purpose, and site of display. This volume demonstrates the value of more recent interpretive approaches to this famous and iconic artefact, by examining the textile's materiality, visuality, reception and historiography, and its constructions of gender, territory and cultural memory. The essays it contains frame discussions vital to the future of Tapestry scholarship and are complemented by a bibliography covering three centuries of critical writings. Martin K. Foys is Professor of English at University of Wisconsin-Madison; KarenEileen Overbey is Associate Professor of Art History at Tufts University; Dan Terkla is Professor of English at Illinois Wesleyan University. Contributors: Valerie Allen, Richard Brilliant, Shirley Ann Brown, Elizabeth Carson Pastan, Madeline H. Cavines, Martin K. Foys, Michael John Lewis, Karen Eileen Overbey, Gale R. Owen-Crocker, Dan Terkla, Stephen D. White.

This collection of fifteen papers ranges from the author's initial interest in the Tapestry as a source of information on early medieval dress, through to her startling recognition of the embroidery's sophisticated narrative structure. Developing the work of previous authors who had identified graphic models for some of the images, she argues that not just the images themselves but the contexts from which they were drawn should be taken in to account in 'reading' the messages of the Tapestry. In further investigating the minds and hands behind this, the largest non-architectural artefact surviving from the Middle Ages, she ranges over the seams, the embroidery stitches, the language and artistry of the inscription, the potential significance of borders and the gestures of the figures in the main register, always scrutinising detail informatively. She identifies an over-riding conception and house style in the Tapestry, but also sees different hands at work in both needlecraft and graphics. Most intriguingly, she recognises an sub-contractor with a Roman source and a clownish wit. The author is Professor of Anglo-Saxon Culture at The University of Manchester, UK, a specialist in Old English poetry, Anglo-Saxon material culture and medieval dress and textiles.

This book unfolds a history of American basketry, from its origins in Native American, immigrant, and slave communities to its contemporary presence in the fine art world. Ten contributing authors from different areas of expertise, plus over 250 photos, insightfully show how baskets convey meaning through the artists' selection of materials; the techniques they use; and the colors, designs, patterns, and textures they employ. Accompanying a museum exhibition of the same name, the book illustrates how the processes of industrialization changed the audiences, materials, and uses for basketry. It also surveys the visual landscape of basketry today; while some contemporary artists seek to maintain and revive traditions practiced for centuries, others combine age-old techniques with nontraditional materials to generate cultural commentary. This comprehensive treasury will be of vital interest to artists, collectors, curators, and historians of American basketry, textiles, and sculpture.

"Cool" colors were hot for fabrics in the late 1960s. The youth of the day wore hot pinks and purples, chartreuse, orange, and yellow. Sometimes called neon colors, these cool hot colors were often combined into wild and psychedelic floral and geometric designs. Hundreds of splashy colors and designs from actual 1960s European and American textile manufacturers' sample books are photographed and displayed with full descriptions and fabric content information. This book takes the '60s enthusiast on a magical ride to an era of outrageous artistic expression.

This is the first dedicated book to concentrate on textiles as a major commodity, and primary indicator of status, wealth and identity in Indian Ocean regions. The volume considers the importance of trade, and the transformation of the meaning of objects as they move between different cultures; it also addresses issues of gender, ethnic and religious identity, and economic status. The book covers a broad geographic range from East Africa to South-East Asia, and references a number of disciplines such as anthropology, art history and history. This volume is timely, as both the social sciences and historical studies have developed a new interest in material culture.

This is a fascinating insight into the living history of Africa. African textiles are patterned with stories that range far beyond the time of the creation or the lifetime of their creator. In Africa, cloth is used to commemorate important events, people or political struggles that in other parts of the world might be recorded in writing, or marked by a plaque or monument. This beautifully illustrated book deciphers these hidden stories, whilst also revealing the relevance of African textiles today, exploring how the dynamic traditions in African cloth-making have provided inspiration for the continent's foremost contemporary artists and photographers. Africa's long engagement with the peoples of the Mediterranean and the islands of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans provides a story of change and continuity, showing how ideas, techniques, materials and markets have adapted and flourished. Accompanied by 200 stunning illustrations revealing the rich variety of textile traditions throughout Africa, this new work showcases some of the world's finest examples of textile arts.

This classic book has been the go-to embroidery reference work since it was first published in 1934, owing to its clear instructions and huge library of stitches. It includes full illustrated instructions for over 400 embroidery stitches, ranging from simple border and outline stitches, to filling stitches, canvas stitches and pulled fabric stitches. Scattered throughout are dozens of inspirational embroideries to show the stitches in use. This detailed guide is ideal for those starting out with needlework as well as more accomplished embroiderers looking for inspiration for different stitches and techniques. This new, redesigned edition includes the internationally renowned embroiderer Jan Eaton's revisions to the original text, and includes a preface by famed embroiderer Mary Corbet.

The Grammar of Pattern describes characteristics of textile and other surface patterns, and identifies, illustrates, and reviews a wide range of pattern types including spotted, striped, checked, tessellating and other types of all-over patterns with original drawings and images. This book includes original black-and-white line drawings and color images. The modular nature of patterns is explored, and attention is focused on the vast diversity of pattern types which can emerge from a small inventory of components. The book features material that is easily accessible with obvious mathematical content kept to a minimum and offers fresh perspectives on the nature of tessellating and other all-over patterns. This book serves as an effective practical guide for both students and professionals. Select sample exercises and student assignments are included, making this an ideal course text for teachers engaged across the full range of design education.

Among the great designers at Herman Miller in the 1950s and 1960s, Alexander Girard enhanced Eames' and Nelson's furniture with innovative textiles. As head of Herman Miller's Textile Division since it was formed in 1952, he designed some of the most colorful and exciting fabrics available anywhere. He also designed the 25-piece Girard Group of modern furniture, and the 40-item series of Environmental Enrichment Panels for Action Office 2. Girard's unmatched folk art collection adorned Herman Miller buildings, filled their Textiles & Objects Shop in New York, and over 100,000 items made up the famous Girard Foundation. His acclaimed work as an interior designer and architect and his remarkable textiles for Herman Miller make Girard one of the legendary designers of the twentieth century. With over 400 mostly color photographs of his textile and wallpaper designs, all of the EE panels and furniture, plus detailed text, timeline, and an updated value guide, this book is a comprehensive view of Girard's work at Herman Miller, and a must for anyone interested in mid-century design of textiles, interiors, or graphics.

Take a close-up look at far-out fabric designs from the 1960s in full, cool colors. All the orange, hot pink, and sky blue the era's most fertile imaginations could conjure. Featured are more than 300 striking swatches from top couture houses in Paris and Milan, bold flower prints on silk, cotton, and the acetates and polyesters that helped shape fashion's most eye-popping era.

An examination of the fabrics, garments and cloth of the Iberian Middle Ages, bringing out in particular the international context. The Medieval Iberian Peninsula, encompassing various territories which make up present-day Spain and Portugal, was an ethnic and religious melting pot, comprising Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities, each contributing to a vibrant textile economy. They were also defined and distinguished by the material culture of clothing and dress, partly dictated by religious and cultural tradition, partly imposed by rulers anxious to avoid cross-ethnic relationships considered undesirable. Nevertheless, textiles, especially magnificent Islamic silks, crossed these barriers. The essays in this volume offer the first full analysis of Iberian textiles from the period, drawing on both material remains and historical documents, supported by evidence from contemporary artwork. Chapters cover surviving textiles, many of them magnificent silks; textile industries and trade; court dress and its use as a language of power and patronage; the vast market in utilitarian textiles for lower-status clothing and furnishings; and Muslim and Jewish dress. It also considers Arabic and Jewish texts as sources of information on textiles and the Arabic garment-names which crossed into Spanish. Particular emphasis is given to the the different ethnicities of Iberia and their influences on the use and trade of garments (both precious and common-place) and textiles.

Wallpaper's spread across trades, class and gender is charted in this first full-length study of the material's use in Britain during the long eighteenth century. It examines the types of wallpaper that were designed and produced and the interior spaces it occupied, from the country house to the homes of prosperous townsfolk and gentry, showing that wallpaper was hung by Earls and merchants as well as by aristocratic women. Drawing on a wide range of little known examples of interior schemes and surviving wallpapers, together with unpublished evidence from archives including letters and bills, it charts wallpaper's evolution across the century from cheap textile imitation to innovative new decorative material. Wallpaper's growth is considered not in terms of chronology, but rather alongside the categories used by eighteenth-century tradesmen and consumers, from plains to flocks, from China papers to papier mache and from stucco papers to materials for creating print rooms. It ends by assessing the ways in which eighteenth-century wallpaper was used to create historicist interiors in the twentieth century. Including a wide range of illustrations, many in colour, the book will be of interest to historians of material culture and design, scholars of art and architectural history as well as practicing designers and those interested in the historic interior.

This pictorial survey is arranged visually with a focus on design, particularly color and pattern. The fabric is contemporary, most made of cotton primarily in Africa commercially, and many designs are printed adaptations of traditional African woven textiles. The designs can serve as a reference and inspiration to artists and designers of fabric and fashion. There are complex and abstract patterns, florals, pictorials, animal and figural themes.

Needle Work: Stitched Illustrations is a lavishly illustrated volume that explores the growing trend in textile-based art and illustration. The works of each featured artist are showcased with full-page illustrations, alongside a brief biography that examines their work, inspiration, and artistic vision.

"Order and Disorder" looks at the cross-cultural context and collaborative nature of Aligheiero Boetti's iconic artworks. The original, often large-scale works in his series Mappe (Maps), Tutto (Everything), and "squared word" were created in needle and thread by women in Afghanistan and in Pakistani refugee camps following the Soviet invasion in 1979, under the direction of Boetti (1940-1994).

Photographs of the artworks and of Afghan women embroidering them are accompanied by examples of embroidered garments and textiles made by Afghanistan's diverse peoples. Such items reveal the country's complex demography and illustrate the kinds of embroideries that were widely traded during the years that Boetti visited.

Christopher G. Bennett is the Dean's Postdoctoral Fellow in Contemporary Art at the University of Delaware. Roy Hamilton is senior curator of Asian and Pacific Collections at the Fowler Museum at UCLA. Alma Ruiz is a senior curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles. Photographer Randi Malkin Steinberger collaborated with Alighiero Boetti on two previous books, "Accunto Pantheon" and "Boetti by Afghan People."

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 second edition of 'Textile Conservator's Manual', now revised and available in paperback, provides an in-depth review of the current practice, ethics and materials used in textile conservation. Concentrating on decorative art objects from the major cultures, the book gives practical instruction and a wide variety of case histories. While the format has been simplified, the text has been expanded and updated to include changes bought about by recent developments in the conservation of material. This new information will increase the reader's ability to interpret signs of ageing and past activity on the object. New case histories in Part Two represent major investigations into the technical history. A basis is provided from which to develop practical skills, taking into account the needs of the object, its essential characteristics of appearance and, above all, its structure. The book covers a wide range of decorative objects, from a fragment of linen 4000 years old to a theatrical backcloth of the twentieth century. This book is practical and thought-provoking, not only about what is being done and how, but also why.

A colourfully illustrated guide to the traditional and contemporary textile skills of hooking, prodding, punching and tufting, to fire your imagination, and to discover ideas for eco-friendly crafting. - Contains 20 vibrant step-by-step projects exploring playful design and quirky creativity, including rugs, cushions, bags and personal accessories. - Conserves resources through imaginative re-use of all kinds of materials - from recycled clothing, food packaging and plastics, to junk jewellery and surplus yarn. - Includes examples of community projects and an inspirational gallery of work by notable artists from around the world.

Timor has been a divided island at least since the seventeenth century when Dutch and Portuguese colonial empires competed for its control. Despite this fragmentation, the weaving of cloth has remained intimately linked to the cultural history of the Timorese peoples as a whole. Handwoven cotton garments serve as markers of identity and nurture social relationships when they are exchanged. Women in Timor weave an impressive variety of cloth, routinely combining more weaving techniques than any other region of Southeast Asia. This technical prowess and diversity of design make weaving the most important form of artistic expression in Timor and allow groups as small as individual families to proclaim their unique heritage. Independence for Timor-Leste (East Timor) in 2002 - following invasion by Indonesia and years of violent warfare (1975-1999) - brought with it more stable conditions and improved access for researchers. Textiles of Timor, Island in the Woven Sea brings together for the first time woven works from all parts of the island, demonstrating that the textile arts form a common foundation uniting Timor's diverse peoples despite the painful history of the country's division.

World-renowned artist and textile designer Kaffe Fassett provides a window into his creative process, offering readers new patterns, new ideas, and new inspiration With successes like Bold Blooms and Dreaming in Color, the latest book from Kaffe Fassett brings together all the best elements of his work and life. Kaffe Fassett in the Studio will offer an in-depth look at his work and where he finds inspiration, paying particular attention to his color work. He'll also showcase some of his greatest designs in the areas of needlework, patchwork, and knitting, as well as provide three to four new patterns in each of these areas. Lastly, Fassett will speak to his fabric design and painting processes. He remains an icon in the fashion and craft worlds. He partners with brands such as Coach and is regularly featured in the pages of Vogue. Fassett's brilliant use of color set his work apart from other artists, and any collection of his work is a must have among fans and beyond.

A comprehensive study of walking canes from around the world, dating from the distant past to the modern-day. The book presents a historical context on both practical and ceremonial usage. At the same time, specially shot pictures showcase the celebrated A&D Collection of canes, while enlightening prose demonstrates the cane's enduring relevance to society. More than just a mobility aid, the cane has held numerous offices of significance. From the staff of the legendary Monkey King in the classic Chinese Journey to the West, or the stylised crosiers carried by high-ranking prelates from the Roman Catholic church, to the truncheon wielded by Mr Punch in puppet shows, canes are embedded in the culture of almost every country around the globe. Roving the map with one hand and thumbing through history books with the other, A Virtual History of Walking Canes and Sticks seeks not only to introduce the collector to the diverse wealth of canes available but also to entertain the casual reader. Intermingled with over 800 full-colour pictures are descriptions of gadget canes for tradesmen, squirting canes for pranksters, and glamorous Art Nouveau canes for the dapper gentlemen of the '20s. Informative and meticulously researched, this book paves an accessible route into a niche subject while paying homage to our ongoing relationship with canes. This story stretches back as far as history itself.

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.

Textiles are central to our lives and are at the heart of the world's largest industries. In recent years there has been a dynamic shift in attitudes toward textiles, fuelled in part by explosive developments in technology. While textiles have always retained roots in craft and industry, the discipline now embraces a much wider range of practices. Innovations in the industry demand a fresh approach to the subject, which this comprehensive introduction ably supplies. Taking as their starting point the very meaning of textiles, Gale and Kaur go on to show the astonishing range of opportunities for careers in the field, from the creative (artists, craftspeople and designers) to the social and industrial, to the commercial and associated practices (buyers, journalists, researchers and scientists). The Textile Book takes us behind the scenes with professionals to reveal what various jobs involve, what influences decision makers, and how their decisions affect what we buy next season. What happens to clothes before they reach the shops? What determines the 'must have' item? How can recycled bottles be transformed into silk-like yarns? These and many other questions are explored to show the diversity that makes up the contemporary global textile scene. Woven, printed, embroidered, knitted -- textiles are pivotal to the everyday experience of people in all parts of the world. This wide-ranging and informative book conveys the excitement and new challenges textiles represent and is essential reading for anyone working with, studying or simply interested in textiles.