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BOOKS RECOMMENDED FOR HISTORICAL TEXT  ON ANTIQUE NEEDLEWORK
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This is a catalog of an exhibition of embroidery at the Bard Graduate Center, curated by Melinda Watt and Andrew Morrall. It is the first exhibition of the Met's English embroidery since 1973 and the first large show of its holdings since Irwin Untermeyer gave the museum more than a hundred embroideries from this period. The exhibition of 85 works includes 50 pieces from the Untermeyer gift.

The period following 1642 was especially tumultuous: two civil wars culminated in the beheading of King Charles I in 1649 followed by ten years of Cromwell, the Restoration (1660), the Great Plague (1665), the Great Fire of London (1666), and finally the founding of a constitutional monarcy in 1689. Despite the country's woes, great needlework was produced. In the catalog there is an essay by Cristina Balloffet Carr, a conservator at the Met, showing photographs of stitches magnified 30 times, showing the incredible skill in technique used to create these works of needle art.
OUT OF PRINT
MAY BE REPRINTED IN 2010
 

PATTERNS OF FASHION circa 1540-1660: The cut and construction of linen shirts, smocks, neckwear, headwear and accessories for men and women
by Janet Arnold, with additional material by Jenny Tiramani and Santina Levey
This book is based on research carried out by Janet Arnold over a period of more than twenty years during which she studied and recorded- in drawings, scale patterns and photographs- surviving linen clothing wherever she came across it. But it was a result of her work on the tailored garments of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that she became more aware of the contribution linen clothing made to fashion, and began to plan a companion volume solely devoted to it. This is an amazing piece of work that brings understanding of early clothing and textiles to a new level. Lavishly illustrated in color with elaborate drawings and notes. 128 pages, $40.00

19th Century Embroidery Techniques by Gail Marsh

In the 19th century, needlework was the most popular pastime of the female leisured classes. The ladies of the house would occupy their time with absorbing hobbies such as watercolor painting, reading, singing, playing the piano, crochet, knitting, and colorful needlework. Many a dull afternoon would have been filled with sorting out the threads and stitching a colorful floral spray to grace the drawing room and be admired by all.

This delightful book is a must for any student of embroidery, fashion and textiles, craft persons interested in historical embroidery techniques, as well as collectors of textiles. Themes covered are:

-How samplers were used as a teaching device
-The 19th century craze for Berlin wool work-The influence of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement
-The importance of whitework to cottage industry
-Applied and pieced embroidery in patchwork
-Making "nick nacks" for the home, embroidered gifts and dress adornment
-19th century needlework tools

Hardbound, 192 pages, $25.00

SEW, MEND & DARN
An Exhibition of Darning Samplers
Curated by Erna Hiscock

This catalog of darning samplers was prepared to accompany a special exhibition to be held September 12th and 13th, 2009, at Old Corner House Antiques in Wittersham, near Tenterden, Kent. Sales of the catalog are being donated to The Pilgrims Hospice. Illustrated in full color, the catalog features almost fifty darning samplers from private collections, made in England, Scotland, and the continent with commentary on each. Samplers from various Quaker schools, including Ackworth, are included. Paper, 17 pages, very limited quantity, $22.00

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