The EmbroideressTuesday, April 13, 2010
Gone but not forgotten
When my friend Nancy Sue Havener died she bequeathed to me her needlework library without any restrictions on its dispersal by me.
After thinking about our many conversations about "what happens to our books" when we get run over by a big red double-decker bus in the heart of London, I believe I've figured out what she would have wished to have happen to her beloved books.
You have a chance to purchase some of Nancy Sue's books and to learn something about this awesome lady.
Go to: www.skinnersisters.com/ns
And thank you for making her wishes come true.
Linn
After thinking about our many conversations about "what happens to our books" when we get run over by a big red double-decker bus in the heart of London, I believe I've figured out what she would have wished to have happen to her beloved books.
You have a chance to purchase some of Nancy Sue's books and to learn something about this awesome lady.
Go to: www.skinnersisters.com/ns
And thank you for making her wishes come true.
Linn
Labels: Nancy Sue Havener, Needlework Books, Sale of books
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Monday, September 14, 2009
The Story of a Book
I have been assembling some copies of my booklet 100 Blackwork Charts to be shipped to Nordic Needle today. I always say "every book has a story" and this one certainly has a tale to tell.
It was the first book I assembled and sold. When I took a chance and took a table at Merchandise Night at EGA National Seminar in San Francisco in 1996 I panicked when I realized I had nothing to sell. I did bring along some gold threads for sale and offered part of my table to fellow CompuServe Fibecrafts Forum stitchers to display their work. Then I turned to my sketch books of charts created from original textiles in English Museums.
I found that I had available more "blackwork" sketches rather than those of other sorts. Soooo I charted 100 of them in the charting software by Hobbyware, printed a master copy of each page and photocopied up some sets of the pages. After a visit to my local paper wholesaler I came home and printed some covers on some rather ugly, shiny brownish sort of cover stock and Bob's Your Uncle, the biz began. If you have a copy of that first printing, you are in a very small minority because very few were printed using those materials.
I continued using a photocopied format until printers became powerful enough to print each book individually. I then began using the linen textured paper that is still used today. It is 30% post consumer recycled paper and that suits me just fine.
I decided the little charted designs in the book needed names so I christened them with names that suited their appearance ( in my humble opinion). Some of the names have personal meaning for me but might be a mystery to the owners of this publication. For example #4 Exodus, a pomegranate design, reflects the first embroidery instructions found in the Bible book, Exodus.
Number 17 looks to me like spiders climbing, climbing, climbing. Thus named Eensy.
Number 24 - VP has a group of repeating H sorts of stitches. Hubert H. Humphrey (forever VP but never president) popped into my mind.
With a bow to the entertainment industry: #31 Lucy recalls the song title Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and #34 Hollywood brings to my mind the Walk of Fame stars in the Hollywood pavements.
Stay tuned to this channel and if anyone is interested, I'll share a few more tales of the pattern names with you one of these days.
It was the first book I assembled and sold. When I took a chance and took a table at Merchandise Night at EGA National Seminar in San Francisco in 1996 I panicked when I realized I had nothing to sell. I did bring along some gold threads for sale and offered part of my table to fellow CompuServe Fibecrafts Forum stitchers to display their work. Then I turned to my sketch books of charts created from original textiles in English Museums.
I found that I had available more "blackwork" sketches rather than those of other sorts. Soooo I charted 100 of them in the charting software by Hobbyware, printed a master copy of each page and photocopied up some sets of the pages. After a visit to my local paper wholesaler I came home and printed some covers on some rather ugly, shiny brownish sort of cover stock and Bob's Your Uncle, the biz began. If you have a copy of that first printing, you are in a very small minority because very few were printed using those materials.
I continued using a photocopied format until printers became powerful enough to print each book individually. I then began using the linen textured paper that is still used today. It is 30% post consumer recycled paper and that suits me just fine.
I decided the little charted designs in the book needed names so I christened them with names that suited their appearance ( in my humble opinion). Some of the names have personal meaning for me but might be a mystery to the owners of this publication. For example #4 Exodus, a pomegranate design, reflects the first embroidery instructions found in the Bible book, Exodus.
Number 17 looks to me like spiders climbing, climbing, climbing. Thus named Eensy.
Number 24 - VP has a group of repeating H sorts of stitches. Hubert H. Humphrey (forever VP but never president) popped into my mind.
With a bow to the entertainment industry: #31 Lucy recalls the song title Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and #34 Hollywood brings to my mind the Walk of Fame stars in the Hollywood pavements.
Stay tuned to this channel and if anyone is interested, I'll share a few more tales of the pattern names with you one of these days.
Labels: Needlework Books, Needlework Business
Comments:
2010 is certainly on my "wishlist". We're keeping our fingers crossed hoping it is possible.
and thanks for the comment Kim. You have certainly been an inspiration to all of us who love embroidery and its history and want to share it with others.
and thanks for the comment Kim. You have certainly been an inspiration to all of us who love embroidery and its history and want to share it with others.
I have two copies of 100 Blackwork charts and a copy of Another 100 Blackwork charts.I wouldn't part with any of them. They are a memory of a good friend.
Do you remember when you gave Steve a blackwork lesson in our living room?
Andrea in Yorkshire
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Do you remember when you gave Steve a blackwork lesson in our living room?
Andrea in Yorkshire
# posted by 
: 4:19 PM
: 4:19 PMSaturday, August 22, 2009
Indian Embroidery Anyone?
India Club caters to a large Indian community residing in the US as well as those fascinated by Indian culture(s).
If you do a little keyword search from the homepage for "embroidery" you will turn up some books not on the shelves of your local book megastore.
BUT, if you don't watch out you will drift over to the cookery section and after about 1.5 minutes run to the kitchen and get out the tandori spices, the garum masalla, and yogurt. You'll frantically chop cilantro and late season cucumbers - you get the picture.
They have a large section of vegetarian cookbooks which is not unexpected considering how many Indians are vegetarian.
I've not ordered from them so I can't speak as to their level of service, but I'm very tempted by more than one book
If you do a little keyword search from the homepage for "embroidery" you will turn up some books not on the shelves of your local book megastore.
BUT, if you don't watch out you will drift over to the cookery section and after about 1.5 minutes run to the kitchen and get out the tandori spices, the garum masalla, and yogurt. You'll frantically chop cilantro and late season cucumbers - you get the picture.
They have a large section of vegetarian cookbooks which is not unexpected considering how many Indians are vegetarian.
I've not ordered from them so I can't speak as to their level of service, but I'm very tempted by more than one book
Labels: Indian Embroidery, Indian Food, Needlework Books
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Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Answering Queries
I often get queries from folks who seem to know I love needlework trivia and have a decent library of needlework and art books in which to delve for answers. I always try my best to help out on questions with the exception of the "tell me everything you know about blackwork" sort which I like to think were sent out of naivete and not general laziness of the sender.
As with any other discipline, it helps to have a few "ready reference" sort of core books with which to start one's quest.
When it comes to needlework, I have two favorites which I heartily recommend:
The Larousse Encyclopedia of Embroidery Techniques by Gay Swift ISBN 0 88332 365 6
and The Needleworker's Dictionary by Pamela Clabburn ISBN 0 688 03054 8
And every once in a while, someone wanders over to my wish list at Amazon and sends a nice little pressie my way in the way of a thank you.
As with any other discipline, it helps to have a few "ready reference" sort of core books with which to start one's quest.
When it comes to needlework, I have two favorites which I heartily recommend:
The Larousse Encyclopedia of Embroidery Techniques by Gay Swift ISBN 0 88332 365 6
and The Needleworker's Dictionary by Pamela Clabburn ISBN 0 688 03054 8
And every once in a while, someone wanders over to my wish list at Amazon and sends a nice little pressie my way in the way of a thank you.
Labels: Needlework Books, Needlework Research
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Sunday, September 07, 2008
How To Read A Book
Everyone has that ONE mega needlework book that would required for being stranded on a desert island. Mine is The Needleworker's Dictionary by Pamela Clabburn. It is 296 pages of well researched and well written information.
As with many books of this sort that are compilations of information, it is not meant to be read cover to cover in a race with the clock. It is meant to be dipped into.
I like to open it at random and read just one page well. It is allowed to continue to the next page if the first page cuts an entry off partially finished.
Page 74 is rich in entries including the idea that cutwork (16th/17th century) is considered the forerunner of all the needlemade laces. The illustration unfortunately is black and white but is recognizable to me as a piece of silk/gold embroidery in the V&A collection with the brides made of gold passing. Known as opus scissum.
Also a thought provoking entry on cushion work (opus pulvinarium) and the various opinions as to the meaning and execution of work designated as opus pulvinarium.
Other entries on the page include cut canvas work, cut-cloth flower embroidery, cutting gauge and cuttlefish.
Better to have read one page well than many pages superficially.
As with many books of this sort that are compilations of information, it is not meant to be read cover to cover in a race with the clock. It is meant to be dipped into.
I like to open it at random and read just one page well. It is allowed to continue to the next page if the first page cuts an entry off partially finished.
Page 74 is rich in entries including the idea that cutwork (16th/17th century) is considered the forerunner of all the needlemade laces. The illustration unfortunately is black and white but is recognizable to me as a piece of silk/gold embroidery in the V&A collection with the brides made of gold passing. Known as opus scissum.
Also a thought provoking entry on cushion work (opus pulvinarium) and the various opinions as to the meaning and execution of work designated as opus pulvinarium.
Other entries on the page include cut canvas work, cut-cloth flower embroidery, cutting gauge and cuttlefish.
Better to have read one page well than many pages superficially.
Labels: Cutwork, Needlework Books, opus pulvinarium., opus scissum, Pamela Clabburn
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Monday, December 24, 2007
Do A Thorough Read
As I have been slowly getting my art and needlework books listed on Library Thing, I've noticed I hadn't really taken a good look at the contents of many of them.
I had a habit during my "going to the dayjob" years of buying books if they were reasonably priced, written by an author I knew and respected and were on a subject of interest. They then often got a cursory browse and shoved on the shelf.
Now that I have a bit more time, I'm finding real treasures when I give them a proper look. The other day I sat down to read cover-to-cover the little Shire book written by Santina Levey, Discovering Embroidery of the 19th Century. This little booklet is jammed with a rich, short course in Victorian Embroidery. It is a great starting point for further investigation of the subject.
Shire publishes small "taste of" books about subjects employing experts as writers. Name a prominent 20/21st Century needlework author and they almost certainly have been published by Shire. Many of us collect these small gems and I highly recommend this one.
I had a habit during my "going to the dayjob" years of buying books if they were reasonably priced, written by an author I knew and respected and were on a subject of interest. They then often got a cursory browse and shoved on the shelf.
Now that I have a bit more time, I'm finding real treasures when I give them a proper look. The other day I sat down to read cover-to-cover the little Shire book written by Santina Levey, Discovering Embroidery of the 19th Century. This little booklet is jammed with a rich, short course in Victorian Embroidery. It is a great starting point for further investigation of the subject.
Shire publishes small "taste of" books about subjects employing experts as writers. Name a prominent 20/21st Century needlework author and they almost certainly have been published by Shire. Many of us collect these small gems and I highly recommend this one.
Labels: Needlework Books, Santina Levey, Shire Books
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