| BOOK REPORTS AVAILABLE ON THIS PAGE: Starting Needlepoint Lace Haute Couture Embroidery Tambour Work Embroidered Birds |
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| TITLE: STARTING NEEDLEPOINT LACE AUTHOR: VALERIE GRIMWOOD HEG# 1630 Anyone remotely interested in this form of lace will find a fascinating history and study behind it, as needlepoint lace is one of the oldest forms of lacemaking, developing around the mid 16th c. It evolved from the earlier styles of cutwork embroidery and reticella, in which some of the warp and weft threads were still part of the lace. This style of lacemaking formed an open framework over which the lace stitches were worked giving the lace a geometric look. Originating in Italy, principally around the area of Venice, this lace style was called "punto in aria" or "stitch in the air". It was worked on a framework of couched threads on parchment using needle and threads to build a variety of stitches. The stitches are based mainly on detached buttonhole (blanket stitch) which are worked over a couched thread outline called the cordonnet. Being independent of the fabric, this style of lacemaking allowed designers access to more free flowing and curving designs. Eventually this style of lacemaking made its way across Europe from Italy, and was influential in aiding other countries in developing their own styles of lacemaking industries. Abounding with black and white diagrams this book discusses everything from the basic equipment needed, to the five stages needed to work a piece; including how to set up and work with the cordonnet. The design of the piece is left up to the stitcher, but ideas are given for simple motifs. A wide variety of stitches are presented from simple to complex. Ideas for design, color and threads are also given. This book is so well written that even those who are far from a teacher, or are like me, following directions challenged, will have no difficulty whatsoever. In fact the instructions are so good that even a child or a super novice in needleworking can be turned into a future lace maker! This book has been placed in our library as a gift from Lorraine Meyer Norrene Trama Librarian |
| TITLE: HAUTE COUTURE EMBROIDERY : The art of Lesage AUTHOR: Palmer White HEG #1424 For those of you who thoroughly enjoyed last months program, and had your eyes opened to a whole new world of fashion, like I did, this book is one you will certainly enjoy. I would especially like to thank Holly Ortiz from our Beaumont Chapter for her wonderful program and for the eye opening creations she brought with her. Because of her, I was inspired to read and review this book, which sat quietly in our library and now has a total new meaning and appreciation for the type of expertise required to create a garment of haute couture quality. Embroidery has always marked times of luxury and opulence and denoted social status. This book reviews developments in dress as seen through embroidery from pre-history into the late 19th Century. It traces the history of haute couture from the advent of Charles Frederic Worth into the late 1980's. French fashion could never have achieved or maintained it's unique place as the supreme world arbiter of feminine elegance without it's unsung heroes; the designers of fabrics, prints, jewelry, footwear, trimmings and accessories, along with the milliners, dyers, furriers, photographers and most of all the workroom seamstresses. It is the seamstresses and embroiderers whose contribution greatly helps create and maintain images according to ones fancy, individuality, wealth and position. One of the most durable, imaginative and innovative of these French embroiderers the house of Lesage. This house was the inheritor of the tradition and reputation passed down from the mid 19th C couturier Charles Frederic Worth, and has served 4 generations of designers including Scaparelli, Christian Lacroix, Chanel and the list goes on and on. The first part of this book gives the history of the Lesage family and how they came to be one of the most predominant embroidery houses of all times. Many pieces of their work are featured in the beautiful color plates that are generously sprinkled throughout the book. These plates show everything from the smallest details used on garments (beads, feathers and stitches) to the entire finished garment itself. The techniques and diverse materials and fibers used to achieve these results are discussed and there are many instances where garments are shown from original sketches to end productions. The second portion of this book is dedicated to the impact that the house of Lesage has had on the fashion world from WW II forward. It discusses some of the top embroiderers, telling of their histories and showing pieces of their beautiful creations. There are separate chapters which detail the creations for the 60's, 70's and 80's; each plate showing more and more elaborate and magnificent designs. The last section will be of definite interest to our "Beading Buddies" group. In order to diversify itself, the house of Lesage conceived a new venture, .embroidered jewelry and accessories. Historically this was not a new concept as even the earliest records tell of predecessors and there was a great outburst of them in the late 18th and early 19th C. After WW I these accessories fell into a slow decline, and it was not until Lesage gave them new life, combining their artistry, and traditions with French refinement to create accessories of unsurpassed elegance and style. While most of us may never be the owner of a haute couture garment, there is no law against dreaming and if you are like me, this book will certainly give your dreams a definite boost to levels you never thought to dream about. This book was placed in our library by Pat Rozendal, Louise Donovan, Patsy Domengeaux, Lorraine Meyer, Mary Alice Black, and Edna Murray as a remembrance of Melinda Burrs mother, JoAnn Thomas. Norrene Trama Librarian |
| TITLE: TAMBOUR WORK AUTHOR: YUSAI FUKUYAMA HEG # 1550 Tambour work comes to us with a long and very international history. It is a hand embroidery technique worked by holding the fabric taut usually in a frame and using a small crochet type hook as a needle. The right side of the fabric is placed facing up and the basic stitch called "the chain" is applied. The "chain" stitch, while the basis of tambour work is an interesting stitch in it's own right goes back many thousands of years. The earliest forms of tambour (chain stitch) type work are to be found in China, where exquisite work was done on silk using silk threads. Eventually this art form made it's way into India, Persia (now Iran), Turkey, and finally into Europe. One of the most interesting aspects of this work is the amount of mediums it can be applied to. Basic fabrics can be as fine as silk or linen, or can be more basic and everyday such as muslin, cotton or even felt. It has also been done using leather as the background. The threads can be as varied as the background and can include anything from silk and linen to knitting, macramé, regular sewing, crochet or even weaving. All the information needed to recreate both traditional and contemporary tambour can be found inside the pages of this book. Diagrams abound, showing everything from basic stitches and couching to applying beads and sequins using the tambour hook and techniques. This book is packed with ideas to suit various decorative uses, from collars, to clothing embellishments, to household items such as linens and towels. This book is ideal not only for beginners, but also for experienced needle workers eager to master this traditional art form. This book was placed in our library as a gift from Lorraine Meyer. Norrene Trama Librarian |
| Title: Embroidered Birds Author Helen Stevens HEG # 224 "Opus Plumarium" .........now that's a 50 cent word if I ever heard one. You can really use that term if you want to impress people. The translation literally means a work of feathers; and dates back to medieval times when clerks documented the sumptuous gifts of embroidery donated to abbeys and monasteries. (Those were the days when needlework counted for something!). The word eventually evolved (as most words do) in the Anglo Saxon vernacular to describe the split stitch which covered fabric with fluid, ever changing sweeps of color to create an illusion of life and movement. Bird motifs appear throughout history and are second in popularity only to floral designs. The ancient Egyptians used birds in their embroideries and also in their hieroglyphics. The Chinese used birds frequently in their silk paintings as well as their embroideries. And, least we not forget the Jacobean crewel work which incorporated many bird motifs into their designs. Thus, from medieval to modern birds have had their place in history as well as in the craft of embroidery. It is now up to us the modern stitcher to decide weather or not we want to use the stylized or realistic form of these beautiful creatures in our works. All venues of birds are covered in this magnificent book, starting with domestic types which include parrots, roosters and canaries, all so beautifully done in magnificent colors. Ms. Stevens then moves on to wild birds (i.e. water birds, and birds of prey) and then on to what she calls "Town and Country" birds which can be seen in most suburban backyard settings. One of the chapters is called "Flights of Fancy" and shows us how we can bring mythological birds to life. This chapter covers birds such as the Roc, the Phoenix, and a bird called the Garuda........the Indian bird of life. |
THE HOUSTON EMBROIDERERS' GUILD Book Reports 1 |
