The Embroiderer's Story: Needlework from the Renaissance to the Present Day

140 pages in color & 265 b/w illustrations! Explore the rich history of the age-old art of embroidery with this exquisitely illustrated and spellbinding volume. Embroiderers from Elizabethan times to the present day are brought vividly to life through the use of a wide array of sources, including books, diaries, paintings, and of course embroideries. Inspiration, design, and the changing uses of needlework are discussed in detail. The impact of new tools and materials are described in their social context--from the first truly sharp scissors and needles in Elizabethan times to the sewing machine and photocopier of the twentieth century. Samplers show how successive generations learned their craft, and motifs from their work and from long-lost patterns books are reproduced and adapted for modern usage. Trim size: 8 1/2 x 12.

To re-create the lives of accomplished embroiderers about whom little is known, Beck surveys historical writings in the form of diaries, biographies, and novels. From the Renaissance to more recent periods, Beck's research yields a panorama of individual portraits that depict the girls and women responsible for much of the fine needlework pictured: elaborate samplers, bookbindings, ornate tapestries, and garments embellished with exquisite patterns. Profusely illustrated with examples of the art form that has survived throughout centuries, the book includes reproductions of pages from rare tomes and oil paintings depicting interiors and richly detailed clothing. With these images Beck offers an expansive trove of design sources for contemporary embroiderers in a solid and inspiring resource. Alice Joyce