Includes: Embroidery and Embroidery Stitches -- Canvas Stitches -- Crewel-Stitch -- Chain-Stitch -- Herring-Bone-Stitch -- Buttonhole-Stitch -- Feather and Oriental Stitches -- Rope and Knot Stitches -- Interlacings, Surface Stitches, and Diapers -- Satin-Stitch and its Offshoots -- Darning -- Laid-Work -- Couching -- Couched Gold -- Appliqué -- Inlay, Mosaic, and Cut-Work -- Embroidery in Relief -- Raised Gold -- Quilting -- Stitch Groups -- One Stitch or Many? -- Outline -- Shading -- Figure Embroidery -- The Direction of the Stitch -- Church Work -- White Work -- A Plea for Simplicity -- Embroider Design -- Embroidery Materials -- A Word to the Worker.

This glorious book is filled to the brim with a wide ranging history of textiles and 350 superb illustrations drawn from many countries and sources vestments and costume, samplers and pictures, great beds and furniture. The story of embroidery and needlework is discussed within the fascinating context of the history of fabrics, of decorative costume, of interior decoration, of church and state ceremonial, of girl's education, of furniture and pastimes. Silk, cotton, linen, and the significance of colours and dyes are also considered. Two interesting chapters reveal the world-wide fascination in an influence of Chinese embroidery and Indian textiles. With a broad account of the artistic achievements of every facet of decorative needlework the book is rich with the art-historical background encompassing the most magnificent of all embroidery, the mediaeval English vestments so coveted by Popes and Bishops across Europe, to the domestic treasures created in more recent centuries. Baroque, Rococo, neo-classical and other period characteristics are each discussed with reference to works created by children, young girls, and ladies who made furniture coverings destined for posterity. The nineteenth century saw extremes of art and fashion ranging from Berlin woolwork to Art Needlework and the eclectic inspiration represented by William Morris, all leading to simpler modernist styles which evolved over the twentieth century. The author sets in political and social context the whole panoply of textiles distinguishing between the magnificent products of professional workshops and the uniquely individual and especially charming amateur embroideries that survive today amongst the most beautiful treasures of the decorative arts. Mr Synge's text is authoritative but examines with infectious enthusiasm this field which has never been sufficiently understood but now interests more people than ever before. It will appeal to all who admire beautiful things, fine workmanship, good design and lovely fabrics. 320 colour & 30 b/w illustrations

Embroidery is currently enjoying a revival and has cast off its image as an old-fashioned hobby. Covering everything from smocking and stumpwork to beading and blackwork, this book explores a variety of handwork techniques as well as looking at machine embroidery styles. The first section of the book explores an extensive range of handwork techniques, giving a brief overview of each embroidery style. It includes a list of tools and materials required, and any specific fabric or thread considerations. Clearly illustrated step-by-step tutorials allow readers to try out the style for themselves, and inspirational galleries of contemporary work showcase the styles and effects that can be achieved with that particular technique. The second section of the book looks at machine embroidery techniques, including both free motion and digital machine embroidery. Profiles of contemporary practitioners dotted throughout the book offer an engaging insight into their professional working practices, as well as a new perspective on a range of embroidery techniques. A concluding resources section offers readers a wealth of further information on all things embroidery-related.

A book that anyone who is an artist, embroiderer, textile artist or simply a lover of beautiful books will want to own. The embroidery of Jane E Hall is breathtaking, and in this gorgeous book she combines her love of butterflies with her outstanding talent as a textile artist to produce three-dimensional renditions of exquisitely worked butterflies that are almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Using the finest of silk threads and needles, Jane lovingly creates her butterflies' wings using the tiniest of stitches worked on to silk. They are then carefully cut away and the edges strengthened with hair-fine wire before being attached to the bodies, carefully crafted from air-drying modelling medium and brushed with whisper-fine threads to resemble hairs. The butterflies are then placed within a setting of silk leaves and flowers, all made with the same painstaking attention to detail and expert skill as the butterflies themselves. This book provides a fascinating introduction to butterflies in nature, reflecting Jane's love and admiration for these exquisite creatures, and goes on to describe the materials and methods Jane uses to produce her incredible creations. Twelve projects, each based on a different butterfly including the Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell and the Brimstone, present the finished piece along with the materials Jane used, and the photographs, swatches, drawings and paintings that inspired it. One of the most striking features of this book is the amazing photography of Jane's work, including detailed close-ups, which, together with Jane's poetic and inspiring text, make this a book that anyone who is an artist, embroiderer, textile artist or simply a lover of beautiful books - will want to own.

'I would like to make things beautiful, but a tawdry and repulsive kind of beauty. A braver sort than people have from birth. Sexy zombies on a bicep. That sort of thing.' Ces longs to be a tattoo artist and embroider skin with beautiful images. But for now she's just trying to reach adulthood without falling apart. Powerful, poetic and disturbing, Needlework is a girl's meditation on her efforts to maintain her bodily and spiritual integrity in the face of abuse, violation and neglect.

Needlework as art is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1886. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres.As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature.Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.