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Sewing and Needlecrafts |
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here for current Cover to Cover Sewing &
Needlecrafts titles on ABE Will open in a new window - prices in UK Pounds. |
| The sewing machine joins what the scissors have cut asunder, plus whatever else comes in its path. Mason Cooley |
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The Complete Book of Sewing - a practical step-by-step guide to sewing techniques Penelope Cream (senior ed) Dorling Kindersley 1996 Whether you are just starting out or are a confident sewer wishing to add a professional touch to your work, this is the only sewing book you will ever need. The Complete Book of Sewing covers every technique you need for dressmaking and sewing for the home, from choosing the right fabric, through pleating and lining, to achieving couture finishes. With this practical sourcebook at your fingertips, you will be able to create your whole wardrobe or give a room a fresh look with new curtains and cushions. Each technique is illustrated with step-by-step colour photographs so that you can see exactly what to do. Throughout the book, supplementary artworks and special tip boxes make the techniques even clearer and show you shortcuts and "tricks of the trade". The Complete Book of Sewing shows you which tools you need for each technique and includes invaluable information on using a sewing machine or overlocker; how to choose a pattern, alter it to fit and apply it to your fabric; and how to identify the fabric hat is best for your needs. Whether
you want to patch your favourite jeans, create a pair of curtains or alter
a tailored jacket, The Complete Book of Sewing is the place to start. |
A History of Thimbles Edwin Holmes Cornwall Books 1st 1985 A History of Thimbles is the most authoritative and comprehensive survey that has been written to date concerning thimbles and their history, and it may well prove to be the definitive work on the subject. The book is aimed both at collectors who want a guide to help them identify their thimbles and find out more about them, and at those who desire a more general history of the subject. Many collectors will be gratified to find that an entire chapter has been devoted to the more popular Dorcas thimbles and that considerable attention has been paid to base metal and to plastic thimbles. It is the author's contention that iron and brass thimbles are in some ways more important than thimbles made of precious metals. Other collectors will welcome the layout of the book which, by having separate chapters for each of the four main thimble producing countries as well as separate chapters for each of the materials from which thimbles are made, provides a ready means of reference. Readers will also appreciate the large number of illustrations, including some taken from manufacturers' catalogues, which have never appeared before. More advanced collectors will revel in the older and rarer material, while at the same time coming to realize that there is always something new to learn and that however good their collections, they remain far from complete. The book will also appeal to students of social history because of the surprisingly important place which thimbles came to acquire in the household as well as their role as an objet de galanterie. But the value of this book is not limited exclusively to its subject matter or the specialized research that lies behind it. Its value also rests on the fact that its author is an active and experienced collector, an enthusiast keen to pass on his knowledge, and someone who is prepared to advise others on every aspect of thimble collecting—including what to look for when buying and what to avoid, how to care for thimbles and even what museums to visit. Large 4to. Wear + chips to dustwrapper edges + closed tears, otherwise Fine in a VG+ wrapper. 1000 gms. £80.00 |
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Stitches Anne Butler B T Batsford 1st 1976 An enormous variety of effects can be achieves by manipulating the tension or speed, using various types of fabrics and fitting different attachments to the modern domestic zigzag/straight stitch sewing machine. This is the first book to explain, with the help of some superb photography by Terry Waddington, how these effects can be achieved. The result is an important contribution to the use of the sewing machine. The book includes sections on Straight Stitch, Zigzag Stitch, Straight Stitch and Zigzag Stitch, Unusual Fabrics and Threads, and Attachments. There is also a book list for further reading and names and addresses of suppliers of equipment and materials, Anne Butler emphasises that the examples are only starting points, and that the embroiderer herself will discover many more effects which can be produced by experiment both with the machine and with the materials that are used. 120 pages 126 photographs Suppliers list 4to. Fine in a VG++ wrapper. 465 gms £15.00 |
The Encyclopedia of Sewing Techniques Jan Eaton PAR 1st 1989 This is the book for everyone who enjoys home sewing—a comprehensive manual for all types of sewing, from making clothes, to curtains, to fine needlework. Each technique is fully explained and accompanied by clear illustrations, many of them in colour. Opening with a chapter on sewing machines—how to choose one, how to operate it, and the other essential sewing equipment which will be needed—the book then moves on to discuss fabrics. There is a detailed directory of the numerous fabrics available, with information on how they are made and what they are suitable for, as well as hints on how best to care for each fabric. "Basic Sewing Techniques" explains the different methods that are used to make garments and furnishings for the home, dealing with hand sewing and the constructional elements of sewing: seams, hems, shaping and fastenings. Here, as throughout the book, each step of the way is carefully explained and illustrated. For many people, an interest in sewing arises out of the desire to need to make clothes for themselves and their family: the garments are individual, less expensive, fit better, and there is an enormous choice of fabrics and colours available today. "Making Garments" takes you through the intricacies of paper patterns, and gives instructions on making collars, sleeves, waistbands and soon, while the following chapter describes how to add a personal touch to your sewing. Choice of colour and pattern, and techniques of decoration such as embroidery and applique are covered, all helping you develop your personal style. The final chapter deals with items of home furnishing—bedlinen, tablecloths, curtains and cushions—and shows you how to coordinate colour schemes successfully. The book is completed with an index. Easy to understand, comprehensive in scope, and generously illustrated throughout, THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SEWING TECHNIQUES is an essential addition to every homemaker's bookshelf. 4to. Glazed pictorial boards in a similar dustwrapper. Fine in a VG++ wrapper. 840 gms £10.00 |
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A Stitch in Time - Victorian & Edwardian Needlecraft Geoffrey Warren David & Charles 1st 1976 The current revival of such crafts as tatting, macrame and patchwork is matched by an increasing interest in collecting examples of needlework produced during the period 1830-1910. That the surviving intricately worked and highly decorative nightgowns, tablecloths and bedspreads represent but a small portion of the massive output of Victorian and Edwardian ladies, is revealed in this highly-entertaining, fact-filled account of the subject. With due acknowledgement to those artists and designers who influenced the taste of the age — Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement, Ruskin and the Pre-Raphaelites — the author concentrates on the actual articles which were made, worn and used by the women of the day, from basic items such as curtains, cushions and the uniquitous antimacassers to couvre pieds, embroidered braces, comforters and even sermon cases. Drawing on material from the prodigious output of needlework journals and books — over 14,000 Berlin work (needlepoint) patterns were available in 1847 and innumerable magazines bearing such titles as the Needlecraft Monthly, which ran a regular feature entitled `Noble Needle-workers' reflecting royal patronage of the art, Mr Warren presents an overall picture of the life of the times as reflected in ornamental sewing on household and fashion articles. He shows the difference between the attitude of the vast number of middle class females with time on their hands and little to fill it apart from sewing, and the equally large proportion of the lower classes who sewed for a living. Children are not forgotten with a chapter on the significance of the sampler which contrasts the training of little girls at both ends of the social stratum, the material being drawn from mostly hitherto untapped sources. For the needlewoman of today, two sections are devoted to some of the many hundreds of stitches and techniques available to their late nineteenth century counterparts, both by hand and machine, covering such delightful arts as lace, crochet, smocking, tambour work, applique and crewel work, all of which are delightfully illustrated in 90 black and white photographs. By thus covering the diversity and richness of the subject well as the bad taste, sentimentalitv and vulgarity inherent in any coverage of this period with, the author hopes, enough irony and humour to make the criticism viable and palatable, he has created a book of interest to collectors, social historians and needlewomen everywhere. Small 4to. Price clipped dustwrapper, otherwise Fine in a Fine wrapper. 550 gms £12.00 |
Sewing Accessories - An Illustrated History Victor Hovart Souvenir Press 1st 1984 Thimbles, scissors, pin cushions, tape measures — all familiar accessories of the sewing workbox — are often beautiful works of art, fashioned in the past to be ornamental as well as practical. Over the centuries the art of sewing has given rise to a wide range of tools which are both pleasing for their fine craftsmanship and of interest for their age and origin. No wonder more and more people are now collecting these dainty tools designed to help the seamstress, embroiderer or needlewoman in her work. Sewing Accessories: An Illustrated History is a clear and informative introduction to the subject, covering every type of sewing implement from needles and darners to worktables and sewing machines. In each chapter the author deals with a particular item, tracing it back to the earliest examples and first references. He then follows the development of each sewing tool, explaining how and where all the variations within each category were made, and pointing out which ones are now rareties. We learn, for example, that the first thimbles were Roman and that since then they have been made in Persia and Turkey as well as in Europe, and from such diverse materials as wood, iron, gold, porcelain, ivory, tortoiseshell and even glass. Victor Houart's lively text and careful research make this a fascinating book which will inspire and delight everyone interested in the history and accessories of sewing, as well as being of value to collectors. It is fully illustrated throughout with black and white photographs. VICTOR HOVART has been interested in antiques since boyhood and started his various collections nearly twenty-five years ago. His second love has always been writing, and his first book was published in 1956. Since then he has written many articles on antiques and other subjects, and he has already contributed three volumes to the `Collector's Guide' series: Buttons, Easter Eggs and Antique Spoons. A Belgian by nationality, he lives with his Scottish wife in Brussels. He is equally fluent in French and English and his books for this series have all been written in English. Square format small 4to paperback 128pp, 'this book belongs to' stamp + name to half title page, otherwise VG++. 315 gms £15.00 |
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