An essential book for any textile artist looking to expand their repertoire into two- and three-dimensional work. Leading textile artist, teacher and examiner Jean Draper takes you through the entire process from designing through construction to embellishment with mixed media. This beautiful and very practical book includes diagrams, detailed drawings and stitch information to guide the reader through the techniques, which include hand and machine embroidery. It covers: Design, including recording information for translation into stitch (with lots of drawing tips); Choice of Threads, including some unusual threads and customizing them; Constructing with Thread, everything from knotted forms, with decorative threads, grids and stacks, and coiled structures; Stitches in Thin Air, constructing with stitch alone using moulds and soluble fabric; Using Mixed Media in Stitched Structures, such as paper, sticks, wire and plastics; Adding Structure to an Existing Fabric; Three-Dimensional Fabric Structures. Working in two and three-dimensions is a growing genre of textile art and this incorporates a fresh approach and great design advice.

The hugely accomplished textile artist Jean Draper gives an invaluable guide to designing and working with pattern in textile art. Jean goes back to basics with simple dots and lines, demonstrating how even basic squares, circles and triangles can have a stunning impact in stitch and textiles. She provides practical and simple instructions for developing and experimenting with pattern, using grids, symmetry, rotation and repeats. Jean draws inspiration from patterns around the world, from West African Kente Cloth to the Gee’s Bend quilts of Alabama. There are instructions on creating bands and borders, strip patchwork and strip piecing, plus an extended study of Banjara stitched textiles. Natural patterns from plants and flowers also offer exciting opportunities for stitch, and Jean explores important design emblems such a the Tree of Life alongside other stitched flower forms. Finally, the ornamentation of the body provides many unique and striking ways to interpret the human form in stitch. Pattern is everywhere and can be used to stunning effect, taking your textile art to the next level. This fascinating and exciting guide brings together inspiration, design methods and stitching techniques to help you develop truly great textile art.

This booklet looks at two embroidery stitches and how diverse their use can be to create textile pieces.

Knitting: colour, structure and design takes a fresh approach to knitting, examining not just the look of a knitted pattern, but how the knitted fabric can be altered with different stitches to change its stretch, drape and thickness. Once understood, the design and application potential of this textile technique is thrilling and endless. Written by a revered craftsman, this beautifully illustrated book encourages and inspires both experienced knitters and those new to the technique to have the confidence to experiment and develop their own designs. Topics covered: basic stitches, including many different ways of casting on and off, both decorative and functional; new approaches to construct fabric in any direction (not necessarily starting at the bottom and finishing at the top) in order to make any shape without sewn seams; an in-depth section on colour giving design ideas and techniques for knitting with colour; advice on dyeing your own yarns, including decorative effects such as dip-dyeing and tie-dyeing yarn; knitting patterns to suit a range of body shapes, with directions for personalizing these to your own requirements; an in-depth look at the technique of hand knitting, what effects can be created from different stitches and the way knitting is constructed by knitting in different directions. Aimed at those new to knitting, as well as advanced experimental knitters, it examines the technique from scratch as if it were a completely new technique to encourage deeper understanding. Beautifully illustrated with 247 stunning photographs and diagrams.

In Connecting Art to Stitch, the third book from international stitched-textile artist and teacher Sandra Meech, fine-art skills and materials are explored through a structured series of short exercises that are specially designed to increase confidence and unlock creativity. The exercises then go on to cover fabrics and stitch techniques, reinforcing the connection between the two disciplines. Fifteen ‘Art Classes’ explore some of the subjects in more depth, covering topics such as simple sketching, working with acrylics, mixed-media approaches including collage, painting on fabric, working with disperse transfer dyes, photography and image transfer. Different subject ideas are suggested throughout the book, so exercises can be repeated again and again, as a personal theme is developed. Sewing techniques and stitch applications are reviewed and illustrated with stunning examples by the author and other leading textile artists. The connection between art and stitch is continually enforced throughout the book, making this book an invaluable guide to the important link between contemporary art and creative stitched textiles.

The basic ingredients of wool, lightweight woven fabric and a variety of fibres and yarns can be combined in a myriad of ways to create beautiful one-off pieces of felted fabric. This useful and inspirational book is a collection of felt 'recipes' to help you make all sorts of felt fabrics, from light and airy Nuno felt, suitable for delicate projects such as wedding veils, to heavier, more durable fabrics that you can use to make handbags and other hardwearing items. It explains how to use layered fabric and felt, create interesting shaped edges and incorporate beads and other embellishments to enhance your work. Each 'recipe' contains full step-by-step instructions to enable you to create a stunning, unique piece of fabric. Suggestions are given for possible uses for each fabric, from evening wear and accessories to items for the home. Illustrated with stunning examples of felt fabrics and items that have been made with them, this book is a handy sourcebook to help you create a huge range of different felted fabrics for your textile-art projects.

Find endless inspiration for stitching your crazy quilts in this treasure trove of seam designs and templates by the creator of Shawkl Designs. You don't have to be a master embroiderer to create beautiful crazy-quilt seams! With 480 seam designs to inspire your creativity, Stunning Stitches for Crazy Quilts will also teach you the simple techniques that give your stitches a professional appearance. Line everything up perfectly with full-size stitch templates and dozens of step-by-step illustrations. Then dress up embroidered seams with sparkly beads, buttons, sequins, and silk ribbon embellishments for endless creative combinations! This eBook edition includes links to printable full-size templates.

A Publishers Weekly Top Ten Best Book of the Year An Amazon.com Top Ten Best Book of 2009 A Washington Post Book World’s Ten Best Book of the Year A California Literary Review Best Book of 2009 An L.A. Times Top 25 Non-Fiction Book of 2009 An NPR Best Book of the Year, Best Memoir With this stunning graphic memoir, David Small takes readers on an unforgettable journey into the dark heart of his tumultuous childhood in 1950s Detroit, in a coming-of-age tale like no other. At the age of fourteen, David awoke from a supposedly harmless operation to discover his throat had been slashed and one of his vocal chords removed, leaving him a virtual mute. No one had told him that he had cancer and was expected to die. The resulting silence was in keeping with the atmosphere of secrecy and repressed frustration that pervaded the Small household and revealed itself in the slamming of cupboard doors, the thumping of a punching bag, the beating of a drum. Believing that they were doing their best, David’s parents did just the reverse. David’s mother held the family emotionally hostage with her furious withdrawals, even as she kept her emotions hidden — including from herself. His father, rarely present, was a radiologist, and although David grew up looking at X-rays and drawing on X-ray paper, it would be years before he discovered the shocking consequences of his father’s faith in science. A work of great bravery and humanity, Stitches is a gripping and ultimately redemptive story of a man’s struggle to understand the past and reclaim his voice.

A companion to Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book, this ultimate stitch dictionary compiles the best of the Vogue Knitting Stitchionary series into a single volume. More than 800 stitches--including 100 that are brand new-- encompass knit and purl textures, cables, lace, colorwork, edgings, and other combinations, all pulled from Vogue Knitting. Patterns feature both text and chart instructions whenever possible. Featuring enhanced photography and hundreds of additional charts, this is beautiful, user-friendly, and a source of creativity.

Stitch simple and striking embroidery designs with wool, cotton, pearl cotton, and metallic threads. Japanese artist Yumiko Higuchi is celebrated for her embroidery designs with a Scandinavian flair. The motifs and patterns she offers here are true to her trademark zakka style: simple and graphic yet softened with organic shapes and imagery drawn from nature. The result is embroidery that feels modern and nostalgic all at once. In Embroidered Botanicals, Higuchi offers 39 embroidery projects highlighting the distinctive quality of different threads. With motifs created specifically for different types of thread-wool, cotton, pearl cotton, and metallic-makers will become better versed in the materials available to them. With beautiful photographs, clear step-by-step instructions, and detailed diagrams, this book will be an inspiring guide for those new to embroidery and a fresh and unique offering for those experienced with needle and thread.