Customer Reviews

Embroideries & Samplers from Islamic Egypt (Ashmolean Handbooks)

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Large all color plates and detailed notes about construction and stitches make this book an invaluable resource for anyone researching medieval Islamic embroidery.

Whether you are a lover of beautiful embroidery or a needleworker looking for inspiration, this book is an invaluable addition to any library. The photographs are excellent quality high resolution so that each stitch is visible. Both the introductory text and picture captions are full of rich information with details such as thread count, size, provenance, even carbon dating as well background on patterns and practices. This is a book that can be read again and again - well worth the price

One of the most interesting books I have purchased for some time.
Very well researched and presented.
I have recently attended an excellent class on this subject and am now endeavouring to receate some of these embroideries.

This beautiful book contains an impressive variety of embroideries from medieval Egypt and surrounding areas. The color plates are reasonably detailed, and there are even a few "backside" views--a treat for those of us who have had their hands smacked or gotten polite "ahem's" from museum guards. The discussions of the various plates are clever and insightful, including observations on the fabrics and types of stitches used. There are helpful sketches of some of the designs, and several close-ups. This is an excellent choice for anyone interested in researching medieval embroideries.

If you are interested in viewing, creating or working with ancient textile patterns then this book is fascinating. I used this book to work on a sampler and it was awesome to see pieces that had been created so many years ago and that are still beautiful by modern standards.