Drawn from House Beautifuls wildly popular Swatch Watch feature, this inspirational new guide shows home decorators how different colored and textured fabrics work with a variety of furnishings.

For burgeoning dressmakers the vast array of fabrics is what both entices the would-be sewer to dress handmade, but it is also what intimidates the first-time sewist when stepping into the haberdashery. Reflecting the episode themes of the third series of The Great British Sewing Bee, each chapter focuses on a type of fabric and demystifies its properties, suitability and uses as well as providing all the instructions and pattern pieces needed to make a collection of universally appealing garments from that fabric type. Many of the 30 garments in the book appear on screen, either as technical challenges faced by the contestants and designed by Claire-Louise Hardie or as projects devised and made by the contestants. The chapter on Cottons explains the properties of this common fabric and gives a variety of designs including a sleeveless shell top, capri trousers, summer dress and beach shorts. This is followed by chapters on wool and natural fibres, knits and stretch fabrics and then luxury fabrics, including lace and sheers. With womenswear sizes ranging from 8 - 20 and menswear sizes ranging from S - XL, as well as the core garment instructions, this book includes all the information you need to get started with your sewing machine and understand both your equipment and the pattern pieces. Claire-Louise's ultimate guide to fitting your own clothes and expert sewing tips from judges May Martin and Patrick Grant will ensure a perfect fit and stunning results.

Fabric for Fashion: The Complete Guide is the only book specifically for fashion designers to explain the behaviour and properties of different fabrics. Fashion design is largely determined by how the fabrics work, move, feel and look. The most successful fashion designers are those who understand their materials, who match design skill with technical knowledge. This book bridges that gap by providing a mix of practical information and industry vocabulary, visually examining generic fabric types, discussing the characteristics of fabrics and showing how to exploit materials to push the boundaries of design. With stunning colour photographs that show how fashion designers, both past and present, have worked with fabrics, the book’s prime objective is to stimulate creative exploration of the relationship of fabrics to fashion.

Soft decoration includes window curtains, curtains, carpets, tablecloths, cushions, beds and sofas, and works of art. Fabric Styles covers three categories: textile, furniture, and works of art. The latest decoration design concepts are included here with many exquisite pictures. The book introduces the reader to the designs of soft decorations and their roles in interior design.

Window treatments give you control of light, air flow, and privacy. Here are inspiring ideas for shades and curtains that are both functional and graceful. The beautiful examples you'll see in these pages will help you select the perfect styles, fabrics, and patterns for your home.

A magnificent work of original research that unravels history through textiles and cloth—how we make it, use it, and what it means to us. How is a handmade fabric helping save an ancient forest? Why is a famous fabric pattern from India best known by the name of a Scottish town? How is a Chinese dragon robe a diagram of the whole universe? What is the difference between how the Greek Fates and the Viking Norns used threads to tell our destiny? In Fabric, bestselling author Victoria Finlay spins us round the globe, weaving stories of our relationship with cloth and asking how and why people through the ages have made it, worn it, invented it, and made symbols out of it. And sometimes why they have fought for it. She beats the inner bark of trees into cloth in Papua New Guinea, fails to handspin cotton in Guatemala, visits tweed weavers at their homes in Harris, and has lessons in patchwork-making in Gee's Bend, Alabama - where in the 1930s, deprived of almost everything they owned, a community of women turned quilting into an art form. She began her research just after the deaths of both her parents —and entwined in the threads she found her personal story too. Fabric is not just a material history of our world, but Finlay's own journey through grief and recovery.

Are you "High Style" or "Boho," or maybe "Happy Modern" or "Trad with a Twist"? The legendary fabrics and wallpapers house of Schumacher shows how you can use their iconic prints and patterns to create a variety of beautiful, chic interiors in the style that most suits you. ***This book is being published with three uniquely patterned covers. Customers will be shipped any of these three different covers at random*** With a focus on Schumacher's greatest contemporary patterns--everything from classic stripes and exuberant florals to edgy animal prints--this accessible and highly useful style guide is organized thematically by chapters such as "Sensual & Spare"; "Preppy"; "Ladylike"; "Exuberant"; and "Opulent," with each featuring a stunning selection of patterns along with inspiring interiors designed in the same spirit. To help readers better understand their style preferences, every chapter begins with a questionnaire, for example: "Are You an Acolyte of High Style?" "Do You Prefer a Midnight Supper to a Power Lunch?"; "Consider Jewel Tones Neutral?"; "Think Champagne Is Not Just for Special Occasions?" Page after page after page of lavish imagery and pattern details are juxtaposed alongside beautiful interiors designed by such luminaries as Miles Redd, Tom Scheerer, Amanda Lindroth, Celerie Kemble, Veere Grenney, and Mark D. Sikes, to name a few, illustrating how Schumacher's iconic patterns can be integrated into a wide range of chic and stylish room designs. The texts provide insights and tips on how patterns can be used in your decor, along with guidance for deciding what style is best for you and your home. Full of inspiring design ideas, as well as an unparalleled resource of prints and patterns, S Is for Style is a visual feast of interior design for all styles and tastes.