Added 2/25/98
Anchor Manual of Needlework $35.00Aryshire and Other Whitework by Margaret Swain. This Shire Album gives a concise summary of the various types of white needlework likely to be encountered. It shows details of the techniques and gives a readable and authoritative acco unt of such diverse types as Dresden work, tamboured muslin, Ayrshire embroidery, Mountmellick and Richelieu work, broderie, anglaise, quilting, and stringwork. Above all, it is an inspiration to the modern needlewoman attracted by white on white embroide ry. 32 pages, softbound. $6.00
Assisi Embroidery by Pamela Miller Ness. Assisi embroidery is a counted thread embroidery technique in which the designs are only outlined in silhouette and the background is worked decoratively. It is a simple and versatile form of n eedlework that is today enjoying a revival. Contains 42 charted designs, stitch illustrations, and an informative historical survey of Assisi work. 48 pages, softbound. $3.50
British Samplers by Mary Eirwen Jones. The child's sampler taught letters and numbers, as well as stitches. A wealth of elaborate and finely worked specimens still survives, providing a vivid and often touching record of a bygone age. Today there is renewed interest in the history of samplers among collectors and needlewomen, perhaps even more so than at the time when this book was first published in 1948. It is a delightfully nostalgic introduction to a fascinating subject, covering color schemes, stitches, inscriptions, design and ornament. 96 pages, 42 illustrations, softbound. $25.00
Complete Guide to Needlework, Reader's Digest. An excellent reference manual, with sections on Embroidery (blackwork, crewel, cross stitch, hardanger, huck, openwork/drawn thread, smocking, and machine embroidery), Needlepoint, Appliq ué, Patchwork, Quilting, Knitting, Crochet, Lacework, Macramé, and Rug Making. 504 pages, hardbound. $28.00
Embroidered Stuart Pictures by Margaret Swain. This Shire Album gives a readable and authoritative account of how embroidered pictures came to be made, who made them, and where they obtained their designs. It will be a useful handbook to collectors, museum curators, and dealers, and an inspiration to the modern needlewoman. 32 pages, softbound. $6.00
Labors of Love by Judith Reiter Weissman and Wendy Lavitt. The authors of this book have combed museums and private collections across the country to illustrate their account of the origins, techniques, motifs, and distinctive qualiti es of a dazzling array of textiles and needlework: counterpanes, blankets, coverlets, and quilts...tablecloths and towels...mittens, gloves, moccasins, socks, vests, pockets, reticules, purses, and shawls...decorative objects such as samplers, banners, an d flags...and the accouterments of needlework itself--button boxes, needlecases, pincushions, and the like. The result is a book that delights us throughout, surprising us page after page with the radiant creativity of women performing what they considere d to be ordinary tasks. 286 pages, hardbound. Highly recommended. $50.00
Old-Time Tools & Toys of Needlework by Gertrude Whiting. This book describes and illustrates nearly all the paraphernalia, accoutrements, appliances, accessories, and other items associated with all yarn and thread handicrafts from kn itting, embroidery, and dressmaking to warp weaving, batik making and lace making. It describes in detail winders, scissors, thimbles, measures, knitting needles, crochet-hooks, bodkins, punches, sewing needles, pins, pincushions, hoops, frames, bobbins, shuttles, spinning wheels, and sewing machines. For each artifact, the author gives a history of its invention, an etymology, its age, lore, use, and a variety of literary and artistic sources in which it is mentioned or depicted. Originally published in 1928, over 200 illustrations, 357 pages, softbound. $12.00
The Open Canvas by Carolyn Ambuter. First published in 1982, this book is a guide to more than 300 stitches for every openwork technique. The author applies her artistry and expertise to creating and filling open spaces in the canva s. Ranging over historic openwork disciplines, she presents detailed lessons for each stitch family, and offers samplers to embroider as skills progress. The result of years of research, her book is the first complete guide to all facets of openwork, incl uding Pulled Canvas, Needleweaving, Hemstitching, Filet, Hardanger, Reticello, and Hedebo. 271 pages, softbound. $17.00
Pillow Lace and Bobbins by Jeffery Hopewell. This book describes and illustrates different varieties of lace and the tools used to create it, not only from England, but also from France and Belgium, and explains some of the terms pecu liar to the craft. A Shire album. 32 pages, softbound. $6.00
Samplers and Samplermakers by Mary Jaene Edmonds. There is a story behind each of the nearly eighty samplers illustrated in this book. Working with clues provided by a particular style of stitching, an embroidered motif, an unusual ar ray of color, or a sampler inscription, the author has diligently searched through dusty town records, poured over state censuses, and tracked down descendants to locate nearly every stitcher whose work is shown in the book. 168 pages, hardbound. Highly r ecommended. $40.00
Samplers of the Pennsylvania Germans by Tandy and Charles Hersh. Here is an extensive study of Pennsylvania-German embroidered samplers. Several hundred samplers have been studied and photographed for use in this beautiful book. 304 pages, hardbound. Highly recommended. $55.00
Spinning and Spinning Wheels by Eliza Leadbeater. This Shire album includes a survey of European and North American wheels, both for wool and flax spinning, which are representative of surviving examples. The tools for the preparation of wool and flax are illustrated, as well as other spinster's accessories, such as the niddy-noddy and the click reel. Although not written as a "how-to" book, this album provides a background to the craft and tools of the craftsmen. It will delight and interest any reader. 32 pages, softbound. $6.00
The Subversive Stitch by Rozsika Parker. The author traces the shifting notions of femininity, and roles ascribed to women, through embroidery from medieval time to today. 247 pages, softbound. $28.00
The New Quilting & Patchwork Dictionary by Rhoda Ochser Goldberg. In this book, there are about 1,000 patchwork patterns charted and broken down into the individual shapes that enable you to actually work each block into a quilted squ are. Various quilting forms and techniques are explored in separate chapters. There are also basic instructions for the beginning quilter and templates for all the patchwork patterns shown. There are chapters on terminology, tools, construction, and assem bly. 280 pages, 1,745 photographs and diagrams, softbound. $15.00
The New Crochet Dictionary by Rhoda Ochser Goldberg. At the beginning of the book, all crochet basics are fully explained; Tools and Accessories, Yarns, Yarn Labels, Vocabulary, How to Read Directions, Symbols, Abbreviations, Equivale nt American and British Terminology, Measurements, Linear/Metric Equivalency Tables. Also included are basic directions for Hands, Slip Knot, the Chain, Double Chain, Slip Stitch, Single Crochet, Half Double Crochet, Double Crochet, Triple Crochet, Double Triple Crochet, and Triple Triple Crochet. Added attractions are a section on how to convert knitting instructions to crochet, left-handed crochet basics, finishing, and an index of stitches. 160 pages, softbound. $12.00
American Silver Thimbles by Gay Ann Rogers. This book includes hundreds of photographs of American silver thimbles from fifty-three outstanding private collections. The text covers early and unmarked examples and those made by the maj or and minor American thimble manufacturers of the 19th and 20th centuries. An innovative chapter on the classification of thimble design will guide those who want to classify and catalogue their collections. A comprehensive index allows collectors to ide ntify thimbles easily and quickly. 223 pages, hardbound. $47.95
Thimbles by Eleanor Johnson. This Shire album will open a door to the charm of the humble thimble in all its variety, from the simple workaday type to the rarer and more exquisite examples which gave scope for artists and craftsmen, a nd still do. It will give those new to a fascinating collecting field an introduction to the possibilities that exist, including the parallel subject of thimble holders. 32 pages, softbound. $6.00
Raised Embroidery, a Practical Guide to Decorative Stumpwork by Barbara and Roy Hirst. Raised embroidery, known to many people by the strange Victorian name, stumpwork, is an elaborate and intricate form of raised and padded embroide ry that originated in the aristocratic houses of the mid-17th century. Today, it is once again becoming very popular, for it employs a wide range of embroidery stitches; it can incorporate needlelace, machine embroidery, fabric painting and other skills, and its three-dimensional character makes it ideal for expressing human forms and activities. In this very practical and informative book, the authors relate the origins of this form of embroidery, as well as explaining its techniques and showing how to d esign and make your own raised embroidery. 80 pages, hardbound. $22.00
Merklappen Uit de Lage Landen by Joke Visser. Although the text is written in Dutch, this book is truly a delight to own. There are 25 color illustrations of antique Dutch samplers; ten of these have been graphed in easy-to-read chart s. Symbols are coded to DMC colors. 176 pages, hardbound. $35.00
Treasures from the Embroiderers' Guild Collection. The first pieces were donated to The Embroiderers' Guild by Queen Mary, Patron of the Guild 1924-53, and since then members of the guild have been donating their treasured pieces of e mbroidery. The Collection now contains about 10,000 pieces from many different cultures, housed in the Guild's headquarters in Hampton Court Palace in London, England. This book shows a selection of 150 of the Collection's best pieces, mostly illustrated in color. Each work is described in detail; the type of stitch, thread and design, and the fascinating social background. 184 pages, hardbound. $40.00
The Art of Silk Ribbon Embroidery by Judith Baker Montano. The author introduces you to silk ribbon embroidery, a glorious needle art that spans several centuries. Included are instructions for more than 40 stitches, photos of works by 12 contemporary needle artists who specialize in silk ribbon embroidery, and 12 lively projects by the author to show you how to do this fascinating, three-dimensional art form. 120 pages, softbound. $21.95
Victorian Brass Needlecases by Estelle Horowitz and Ruth Mann. It is very easy to become fascinated with Victorian brass needlecases. They are re-creations, in miniature, of the Victorian world, in material that is appealing in its wa rmth and feel. For ten years, the authors gathered information about the elusive history of these needlecases. A detailed book about Avery and Avery type needlecases. 159 pages, extensive illustrations, hardbound. $35.00
An Anonymous Woman, Her Work Wrought in the 17th Century by Kathleen Epstein. The subject of this highly informative book is an unsigned and undated 17th century English band sampler. Nothing is known about its maker except that she wa s skilled with a needle and thread. Drawing on writings of the period, the author paints a rich picture of Stuart sampler-making. Two sections illuminate the nature of female education and the importance of needlework in that schooling. A third section ex amines some of the 17th century sources for sampler materials. Color photographs of the sampler, stitch and pattern diagrams, and other technical information enable the modern embroiderer to recreate the 36 reversible patterns of this sampler. 52 pages, s oftbound. $20.00
The Complete Book of Ribbon Embroidery by Heather Jones. Embroidery with ribbons has been in fashion at intervals since the sixteenth century. Extravagant use of ribbon bows, rosettes and ruching were seen on clothing, hats, shoes, po cketbooks, and pincushions. This book is packed with ideas for using ribbons and stitchery creatively, all illustrated in color. Every technique and stitch in the book is clearly illustrated with photographs or diagrams and instructions. 128 pages, hardbo und. $30.00
Satin and Silk Ribbon Embroidery by Lesley Turpin-Delport. The essential difference between silk ribbon embroidery and satin is that the silk is so soft that it can be pulled through the background fabric just like embroidery floss. T his book shows you how to work with silk ribbon, stitch illustrations, how to make rosebuds with silk ribbon, as well as many other projects. 64 pages, softbound. $20.00