18th Century Embroidery Techniques (Hardcover)

by Gail Marsh (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Brimming with intricate drawings, color photos of museum-held pieces, and excerpts from 18th-century writings, this fascinating, highly readable book explains how embroiderers embellished the bewitching, sumptuous clothing of the day. Gain insights into the working life of 18th-century embroiderers; and study the tools, equipment, stitches, and threads employed to embroider everything from petticoats to a polonaise robe. And learn techniques as relevant today as they were then, including working with metal thread and spangles, silk embroidery, quilting, tambour, and the forgotten arts of Hollie Point and knotting. A must for students of embroidery, fashion, and textiles; historical costume creators; collectors; and needlework enthusiasts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Guild of Master Craftsman (August 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861084765
• ISBN-13: 978-1861084767
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #356,876 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 18th Century Embroidery Techniques, September 12, 2007

By	Jennifer Ratcliffe "Empress Fuzzella" (Dunedin, FL) - See all my reviews

This is my favorite book, bar none. I know, weird, but I'm a fiber artist. The contents of this book take the mystery out of the "how'd they do that?" It explains clearly what and how embroidery, especially of royalty and the royal court, was accomplished. IF it was still clear as mud after I read it, there were pictures and drawings. The pictures, BTW, are amazing. The content, superb. The writing, clear and personal.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awe inspiring, March 3, 2007

By	Maren F. Lauder "Maren" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book gives very thorough descriptions of the embroidery processes of the 18th C. It answered many questions about the role of the professional embroiderer, and for the needleworker who loves a challenge, is very inspirational.
Some of the garments described are shown only as sketches by the author rather than photographs. This may be due to the fragility of the original articles, but I would have liked to get a feel for the actual garment rather than the artists concept of how it looked and was worn.
In addition, it would help if the detailed descriptions of what stitches were used had indicators as to where on the motif the particular stitch was used.
Still, it was well worth the money and I am very pleased to have it in my 18th Century library! I know I will go back to it again and again for inspiration.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 18th Century Embroidery Techniques , October 2, 2007

By	Kathleen (San Mateo, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This book is well researched and presents clear detailed descriptions of a fascinating subject. I love the inserted quotes especially those from the ever chatty Mrs Delany. (I highly recommend the wonderful book by Ruth Hayden "Mrs Delany Her Life and her Flowers") The only reason I chose to give this book 4 stars rather than 5 is the lack of color photos of the garments. Too many of the items are represented by simple line sketches making them difficult to visualize.