Customer Reviews

White Work: Techniques and 188 Designs (Dover Embroidery, Needlepoint)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The introduction consist of the history of white work, materials for white work, and transferring the designs. Intructions for white work stitches includes stem, chain, lazy daisy, running, backstitch, straight stitch, seeding, satin, padded satin, long-and-short, french knots, overcast, buttonhole, feather, herringbone, chevon, star, shadow, couching, and lattice filling. The designs are beautiful. The only thing I find wrong is it's paperback. With use though the years it will fall apart. Get your stapler ready!

I had never tried whitework before buying this book, but I am glad to own it. It contains a good introduction to the stitches involved in whitework. I found I couldn't put it away - I actually wound up embroidering quilt squares so that I could try as many of the stitches as possible. It helps to have a previous background in sewing and embroidery, but this is a good way to branch out.

I love this book for the designs! If you are looking for White Work eye candy you will be disappointed it has no photographs of white work other than the front cover. This is a simple book and if you look at the price it reflects that as well. Still it is a wonderful book just for the designs alone, which can be used with any embroidery not just in white work. I enjoyed reading about the history and how stitches are used for white work. The only thing that really makes white work any different is that it is done in all white thread on white fabric and when you work in 1 color you need to use different stitches to create texture and make your embroidery interesting.
The author suggests stitches for use with the patterns but they are only recommendations. I do wish there was a few examples to "see" what has been explained but that is not needed in order to use the patterns or to try creating your own white work.
Overall for the price this book is worth it for the patterns and a little bit of white work history and ideas.

I am disappointed by this book. There are no real life pictures of what can be done with this technique - only the cover. It does provide the history, how to do the stitches and a lot of patterns that can be transferred as the "Techniques and 188 Designs" in the title promises. However there is no challenge or inspiration to apply this art.

This books has good illustrations of the stitches used, and many good designs, though I was hoping to find more information about the history of the designs. I'm using them predominantly for Civil War reenacting, and wanted my embroidery to be authentic. The price was good -- as is true of most Dover publications, so I think this was well worth the price I paid, if not more so.

This would be a good book for beginners, especially if one looks at it as an open-ended guide that allows for individual creativity and use of colored threads.

This book, a great disappointment, is part of the Dover "reproduction" series (ca. 1978). It would be of interest to the needleworker who is interested in late Victorian designs, as they come from a collection published ca. 1900 ("The Chief Pattern Book of Embroidery Patterns for the Improvement of Artistic Embroidery on Linens and the Promotion of Good Handicrafts," Nuremberg, Germany: Johann Merkenthaler).

As such, there is little instructional material for those who wish to learn these techniques (principally cutwork with satin stitch and "bridges" & line work with stem/backstitch). There are diagrams, perhaps from the first edition, but they have no numbers to indicate where component stitches begin and end, although with the basic nature of them, the needleworker with a little experience will be able to figure them out.

Stitches include stem stitch, backstitch, straight stitch (i.e., satin stitch), lazy daisy, running, long & short (long & short satin), seed (short satin), padded satin (guess what?), buttonhole/overcast, feather, star (Smyrna cross with arms of different lengths), herringbone, couching, and a few others.

Instruction pages include a brief history, how to transfer the patterns (air- and water-disappearing markers; tailor's chalk; embossing; pouncing - the historical technique - is not mentioned), and thread/fabric/hoops. Not a lot, folks, and certainly no step-by-step or how to incorporate the designs into modern work (such as table or bed linen). The "188 designs" are there but no "techniques".

If you are looking for instruction in whitework/cutwork techniques, this book is useless.

In place of this book, I recommend Thérèse deDillmont's "Encyclopedia of Needlework" (ca. 1884). It is now titled "The Complete DMC Encyclopedia of Needlework," Running Press, various years, incl. 1978). This historic book has many how-to and in-progress diagrams of the techniques, plus alphabets and other design elements. If you purchase Houck's book, consider it an adjunct to the deDillmont and containing patterns without instruction. (The deDillmont covers a multiplicity of different techniques, not just whitework.) mb

Great book! I love the traditional white work and so this is a great book. It has some nice techniques and designs to use. It also has some good working tips.