Textiles Books

'voyag of the great tittanic' was about a girl who travels to new york on the tittanic. while she is abord she meets new people and she says what she did while on abourd. later in to the book when the ship is sinking it tels how everyone is trying to make it out.
i would recemend this book because i learned something from the book that i did not know befor. it was also intresting to know things from first person.

"so far from home" is about a 13 year old girl who travels to america from irland. while she is their she works in sweat shop to earn money for he rpearrents so they can come to. this book also shows how tough the irish had it back then and how mistreated they were by the yankees
i would recemend this book becuase it is intresting looking at thing from the way those poeople lived back then.

So Far from Home / 0-590-92667-5

The Dear America series is renowned for its compellingly written, fictional historical narratives. Often centering around the lives of "typical" young women and girls in a period of American history, the books purport to show a day in the life of these young women. The books are marketed for children, but generally are just as compelling for adults. I say "generally", however, because each book in the series is written by a unique author, whose own style often shadows the final product, for good or bad. "So Far From Home" is authored by Barry Denenberg, whose other Dear America and Royal Diary books have not always, in my opinion, been a success.

"So Far From Home" takes us through the life of young Mary, an Irish immigrant to America. She hopes to find work in a mill and send her wages home to her family, to feed them through the famine and - perhaps - one day bring them to America to live with Mary again, forever.

The plot is compelling, but the flaws from Denenberg's other works show through here. For one, he seems dissatisfied with the Dear America diary format and he has broken up the diary segments into "chapters" which is just jarring and removes the reader from the diary narrative. For another, Denenberg has decided to litter Mary's writing with "tis" and "thee" as much as possible, and the result is very difficult to read. Many of Mary's sentences lack proper grammatical structure, making reading cumbersome. I think perhaps Denenberg was going for realism, but the other Dear America books manage perfectly well without going this route, so I don't know why the editors didn't tighten up the narrative a bit. The result is chunky and difficult to read, in my opinion, and I can't imagine that most children will bother to wade through to the end.

In almost all the Dear America books, the authors introduce plot lines tangential to the "main" narrative which are brought to some kind of conclusion before the diary author 'runs out of paper' or 'decides to start a new diary to mark this new life' or whatever other conceit is used to tie up the narrative to a conclusion. Denenberg, however, once again chooses to introduce several plot lines that simply don't resolve themselves or go anywhere. The side-plot where Mary struggles with whether or not to tell the blind-orphan girl about the death of her parents is forgotten without a conclusion. The side-plot where Mary's sister is hinting that she will be wed soon is never mentioned again. The very ending itself is one big unconcluded disappointment - Mary learns that a friend has been falsely imprisoned in Boston, so she packs up to go to his rescue - The End. We must rely on the flimsy two-page epilogue to find out what, precisely, happens to Mary and her friend, and the final product is just very bad storytelling. The epilogue itself is practically insulting, as - differing from all other Dear America books - it has the narrator dead from disease within two years of the book's ending, apparently because the author didn't want to make up a proper "rest of her life" story for his young mill worker.

Fundamentally, the real problem with this book is that it doesn't know what story it wants to tell. Problems in the factories are mentioned, reminiscent of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle", but Denenberg doesn't offer any explanations other than the fact that the American workers blame the immigrant Irish for providing a constant influx of cheap labor. Beyond that, there is nothing - almost no mention of unions, strikes, regulation, anything. This is disappointing, as another Dear America book ("Dreams in the Golden Country") managed to tackle the issue in far more depth, so why couldn't "So Far From Home"?

Denenberg's issues with women seem to surface again here, too, especially in the character of Kate. Kate is Mary's sister. Wholly without depth or subtlety, she is selfish, vain, and proud. She works as a lady's maid for an upper-class family and chooses 'selfishly' to never send any of her wages to her grandmother, sister, or family back in Ireland, despite the fact that they all need the money far more than she would seem to. This could have been a good opportunity to discuss why so many young women felt they had to turn their backs on their families in order to survive (point of fact, it was very difficult to get a good husband without some kind of dowry or savings, and - of course - those official weddings didn't pay for themselves), but Denenberg is completely incurious about this, and we never see Kate as anything more than a shrew.

I really don't recommend this book. It is not a bad book, and there is a decent amount of history here, but the narrative style is so bad that there's just no real reason to suffer through this book when there are much better out there. I highly recommend, as an alternative, "Dreams in the Golden Country", which tells a similar story from the vantage point of a family of Jewish immigrants, yet tells the story in a much more compelling and coherent fashion.

Mary Driscol, or "Quiet One" as her sentimental aunt calls her, lives in a land of tragedy and gloom, starvtion and fear. Ireland, 1847. Not only the potatoe famine afflicts the Irish people: They are persecuted by unreasonable Eglish land lords who ought to be helping them in their time of need. Desperate to start a new life for her family, Mary ventures to America, where she hopes to earn money to pay for her parents' voyage by working in a mill in Massechusetts. She gets a job, stays with her aunt, who is a school teacher, and makes a friend named Annie, who is an American girl. But her struggles are not over. She has an overbearing boss, a prejudiced co-worker, and the hardships of daily life to contend with. But she finds contentment in making the most of her blessings, in prayer, in singing her mother's old lullabye to herself, and in the hopes that, one day, she will be re-united with her family. A touching, poignant story of a brave Irish girl who made her little world a better place. I highly reccomend.

So Far From Home is about a girl (Mary) who moves from Ireland to America to live with her aunt and to work at a mill. On the ship when she is traveling to America, she meets the O'Donalds and a boy named Sean. The O' Donalds have a daughter already in America (her name is Alice). While on the ship the O' Donald's end up dying from black fever. So Mary decides to go find Alice. When she finds Alice, Sean's uncle decides to take her in. After a while Mr. Quinn (Sean's uncle) sends Alice to a convent. There was a group of people who didn't like the Irish so they started a mob. Sean goes to the convent to keep Alice out of danger and brings her to his uncle. Then he goes back to the convent to stop the mob. He ends up getting arrested and Mary goes on a quest to save him.
I really liked this book because it is emotional and easy to read. I say it's emotional because when she is on the ship the O'Donalds die. Also Later in the book when she is with her aunt, she finds out that her parents are dying and won't be able to come to America. Like I said this book is easy to read I read it in two hours. As you can see I really liked So Far From Home and I think you would, too.

I purchased this book as my first introduction to embroidery and found it to be information, with absolutely adorable ideas for getting started on my first project.

This book has very clear, thorough instructions, great pictures and lots of pattern ideas. I really suggest it for anyone looking to learn embroidery.

I am so new to this craft...I bought this book, hoping to get inspired. I was blown away. I would highly recommend this book to beginners. Great pictures and instructions. Hope she comes out with a sequel!

This is a fun book! I don't know how many of the actual projects I will do...some would be really fun to do with kids, but the designs she uses are Great! I love them! She also has Great instructions! And I really appreciate how easy it is to learn all the different stitches! The pictures are great and it is very clearly written! If you need something inspirational or instructional, this is a Great book!

I bought this book because a Ms. Ray is a fellow craftster.org user and I have long admired her work. I bought it to support her and because I loved the cover project. Unfortunately that project is not featured within but some patterns that are photographed in the book are not actually projects in the book. The patterns can be found for purchase on her etsy.
That said, the projects and step by step instructions are clear. However, when I first learned embroidery, I was uncomfortable transferring patterns without using iron-ons, which is why I recommend Sublime Stitching: Hundreds of Hip Embroidery Patterns and How-To for first ever embroiderers. Doodle Stitching would be a book to tackle after you've become somewhat confident in your ability to transfer designs on your own. (I am the type of person who likes to do it the technical "right way" when trying a new craft, after that I am comfortable to experiment.)
The instructions are clear and the thread colors for the photographed projects are listed. Her stitching instructions were also very clear. I got a little confused while tackling the sewing instructions for the lap quilt but I think that had more to do with the spaciness of the last weeks of my pregnancy rather than the instructions themselves.
This book makes a great addition to any young crafty embroiderer's library and I totally recommend it!

The Art of Manipulating Fabric

A great book of sewing methods for any application, worth a look for designers and fabric workers of all types.

Sean

I didn't pay too much attention to the number of pages when purchasing this book and was pleasantly surprised when I received it! Packed full of descriptive text, gorgeous examples and clear images to inspire! A useful and wonderful tool for any serious sewer, and a must-have for my library.

This book is amazing. There are so many age old techniques that are pictured and explained in detail. The possibilities are definitely endless. I highly recommend.

First of all, this is definetely a book for experienced sewers. The book assumes you know how to do basic and intermediate sewing, and also assumes that you are familiar with many technical terms that are not listed in the book. If you are an experienced sewer, then that should be OK.

My main issue with this book is that there is SO much information in it that it seems to be running out of room to list it all. Pages are laid out in four column formats only with black and white photos, mostly just of the finished products. It lists so much information, in fact, that I think it's more accurate to call this book an encyclopedia or a compendium on all the different techniques listed. It's really not a how-to book at all, unless you already know what you're doing.

I'm really not exaggerating. Nor do I often (ever) write book reviews. I knew I wanted to do something "creative," I had tried classes in various things that were fun but not quite "there." Interior design, color theory, drawing, drafting, art history, and even two in MS Access database design! And then I saw this book in the flesh at a store and bought it on the spot (sorry Amazon!) I read it straight through, unable to put it down. Afterward, I wanted to see and own all the muslins. I wanted to put them together into sculptural objects. I wanted to know all the things that Ms. Wolff knows about fabric and sewing. I wanted more books, some fabric, and my ancient Singer. I wanted to do it having no idea where I'd end up! So beyond all the lessons in how to do particular things that the book contains, it inspired a passion in me to work with cloth. It built a fire inside me about possibilities, and I began to see the book as beckoning me to try, with cloth as the medium. I grew up as a child threading my Grandmother's needle but hadn't sewn myself since high school.
All this was two years ago, and in the interim I have been working hard on my new passion and have created (and modified many times over!) a design all of my own. I'm entering juried fiber arts shows, and selling pieces. I work on this every day. And in addition to the motivation to start, this book's details are a central reason why I could realize my design. I would not have been able to do it without one of the very last things in the book--how to create a round spherical form to an exact size by darting a flat circular piece of fabric. When I bought the book, I never knew that this part of it would make all the difference. In fact, I didn't know it until I returned to the book with my problem still pretty unformed in my mind and was able to say, now I see that *this* is what I need! So thank you, Ms. Wolff, thank you very much for investing this huge amount of your life into this book, and for inspiring and educating me, and I'm sure many others as well.

This is great for any historical costumer. It gave me so many ideas for different costumes! Plus it has great small scale patterns.

AN REAL INSIGHT INTO THE ELIZABETHAN ERA'S, GARMENT ASSEMBLY METHODS. A MUST HAVE FOR THE COSTUMER OR DOLL MAKER. THANK YOU ANNETTE

I am quite fond of this book, it not simply giving illustration to what was worn, but also giving insight into how it was made, repaired and in general used by the original owners. I am very pleased to have this volume in my library.

This book although rather cumbersome in shape and difficult to read without the aid of a table to lay it up on, it is very through in its content and the patterns are great the amount of work the writer must have done to collect the information is mind blowing, however I would have liked to see a few more colored pictures but this does not detract from the information.

This purchase was specifically for the purpose of constructing a late Elizabethan wheel farthingale. Although I was disappointed to discover no pattern in miniature, the pertinent drawings were more than adequate for me to put together my own pattern. And the details of the trims, embroidery, etc. are to die for!

If you are an experienced costumer, then you'll have no problem with whatever your project is, in ladies and gentlemen's clothing, including hats. But particularly, the drawings of the men's clothing are the best I've ever seen and in a vast variety of style and era. And I've looked over just about every pattern out there without finding one that suited me. You cannot do better than this book.

Just in case you haven't read the other reviews, the Arnold books do not hold actual patterns--except in miniature. And they are on a grid so that the experienced person can transfer the pattern to paper and make their own. However, of course, you will still have to provide your own tailoring. And for heavens sake remember to make your corset and foundation underthings first.

Be sure to read through the other reviewers as many have valuable things to say. See you at the faire!

All quilters, whether they work art quilts or traditional quilts, will want to own this amazing gallery book. The work of the master quilters featured is unrelentingly beautiful and inspiring. It's an essential title for the libraries of all fine art and craft fans. Martha Sielman, the president of SAQA (Studio Art Quilts Associates) curated the collection, and it's a tribute to her knowledge about art quilts and to how far this medium has progressed. Art quilting is a true art form. It's a fantastic book.

Great concept book. Would prefer seeing more artists reviewed rather than so many quilts from each artist. Still a great book to browse over and over before starting a new quilt.

My wife received this book as a gift and she can't stop talking about it. Here's what she says:
"Masters: Art Quilts" is a fantastic collection of visual and verbal profiles of quilt artists. It is wonderful to sit and immerse myself in the photos of about 10 quilts for each artist. The quotes from the artists provide wonderful windows on their individual creative ideas and processes. The photos do a great job of bringing out the richness of the colors. The author's introduction to each artist highlights themes and techniques. It's like having the curator stand next to you in the gallery, leading you deeper into the art. Highly recommended!

FIVE STARS is not enough to rate this fantastic compendium of contemporary artists who work in the new innovative medium called 'art quilt' or 'quilt art.' Martha Seilman has done a fantastic job of introducing the reader to the MASTER artists and for once, here is a book that gives us ENOUGH of a sampling of the artists' work so we get an idea of the evolution and progression of their body of work. Art collectors will use this as a reference for years to come; artists in other mediums will take note of this new medium which combines fiber and thread with traditional art techniques and takes them all to a new and higher level; art quilters will display this on their coffee table as proud reference and inspiration for pushing their own artistic envelope. Masters: Art Quilts must have a VOLUME TWO in another few years! Thank you, Martha!

This is a beautiful book, that as others have said, is a source of inspiration for quilters. I loved seeing the variety of quilts, revisiting quiltmakers whose work I know, and learning of others unknown to me. I especially appreciate the international nature of the artists selected. My only criticism is related to the medium, not the book itself. Many of the quilts have an inset photo that gives a close-up of a small section of the quilt, but for most, the details of the surface, that part of a quilt that most draws quilters, is lost. So for most of the quilts, it is like looking at beautiful paintings, not beautiful quilts. I really miss seeing what the artists have done with the stitching and getting the textural feel.

If you are a costume officianado and you love Star Wars, this is a great book with excellent images of the costumes through the years and the movies. A definite must!

Absolutely Love Love Love this book! The pictures are fabulous and the costumes gorgeous! The designer did a terrific job! I recommend this book to anyone who loves design. I would've loved to have seen more but alas I'll just have to check out the website Star Wars Fit for a Queen, its combines both.

Great photos. NOT recommended for people looking for Episodes IV, V, VI costumes. A lot of this book is dedicated to Padme Amidala and her handmaidens' wardrobe, but they had the most costume changes throughout the first 3 movies. The costumes are beautiful and detailed. I love this book.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R31EPXZFHCY2XG This is a hardcover book with a dust jacket. The book is well bind and sturdy. The paper stock is low gloss and of high quality. This is a well constructed book.

The focus of this book is on the costumes for Star Wars Episode I, II and III. The amazing variety of costumes were designed by Trisha Biggar, the costume designer for Star Wars prequel trilogy.

There are more than 300 photos included. The texture of the materials and exquisite details of the designs are shown clearly with many close up photos. All the costumes are captioned by the costume department and some by the actors -- Samuel L. Jackson, Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman and others.

There are little stories on the creating the costumes, from the inspiration, designing, sourcing to execution. It's like a making-of book that focuses on costume development.

The costumes are split into different categories, and respective chapters:

1. Jedi vs Sith
2. Royalty
3. Military Wear
4. The Galactic Senate
5. Slaves, Rogues & Bounty Hunters
6. Padme's Journey

This book has the depth, and provides an intriguing read.

There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.

Each picture in this book is beautiful. Every costume from Star Wars is in here including how to make each costume. Its amazing how beautiful most of the costumes really are especially Padme, Padme's Handmaidens, the Queens of Alderaan and Naboo and the Jedi. Buy this book and it'll make you want to go out and make each costume yourself.

I love to sew but I'm not very fabric savvy, so I bought Sandra Betzina's book, and it's one of my best purchases. It's matter-of- fact and gives me all the info I need to know about any given fabric. Nowadays I can bring it with me when I'm out fabric hunting and know that not only will I go home with a suitable fabric for a project, but I'll also buy the right accessories needed for completing the garment. Brilliant!

I am a relative beginner to sewing, and I find this book is invaluable! It has nearly every type of fabric listed and includes info on fabric care, layout, marking, closures, needles, hemming, thread types etc. I have learned so much--and avoided some costly mistakes by reading this first-before cutting or sewing! It also is spiral bound and will lay flat or stand up for viewing. Cannot recommend more highly!

I just love Sandra and she did not let me down with this book. I have learned so much about the different fabrics out there and I really did not know much at all. Thanks to her book I feel I can make a great decision about what fabric to buy for a project.

A must for your references. Sandra has all the information you need to handle fabrics. Very useful especially when sewing unfamiliar fabrics.

I purchased both of her fabric books: "Fabric Savvy" and "More Fabric Savvy", thinking that they contained non-overlapping information. It turns out that "More Fabric Savvy" is a misleading title, and should really just be "Fabric Savvy, 2nd edition". All the information that is in "Fabric Savvy" is also in "More Fabric Savvy", but there is additional information in "More Fabric Savvy". Don't waste your time and money trying to chase down "Fabric Savvy" from a used book seller. Just buy "More Fabric Savvy" - it is really good.

This is a good basic costume pattern book. Easy to use and patterns are easily redrafted and understood. Good historical references. I recently used it for Ancient Greek costumes (easy), as well as Medieval (good ideas). I know that I will be reaching for this book over and over again whenever I need to costume a historical play.

A book for someone who is wanting to begin exploring theatrical costume design or production.

This book looks at first to be incredibly simplistic, but first impressions are decieving.
Although the images are basic and there isn't really any information regarding the actual costruction of the costumes, this book is wonderful in that it provides the basic shapes and pieces of such a wide range of garments.
Definitely one for a more experienced costumer, or at least for someone with a bit of pattern drafting knowledge.

I'm very happy with this purchase and can see this book coming in very handy.

I first found this book at the library, and eventually, I did get a copy for myself. It is valuable for the extensive time period it covers, and has moderately well drafted patterns. As someone else mentioned, they have to be corrected every once in a while (though maybe not the extent they claimed.)

I do have one nitpick about this, though. As the title suggest, this is for theater. It's for getting the *spirit* of the costume. Yes, their provided silhouettes are correct. However, their patterns aren't, necessarily. They are simplified a lot, to *look* the same way, but if you're searching for historical accuracy, then it's best to double check.

Don't get me wrong, it's a great, useful book, but it's not always the one I want to turn to for period work.

I found this book around 25 years ago. At that time it didn't have any explinations, only the designs and some general info in the front. I do pre 1660 re-enactment and still use and teach from my well worn copy. I put it in a notebook and lend out sheets to explain how pieces go together. It isn't totally accurate, but it is a starting place for new costumers. It is easier to explain changes to make it accurate from there.

it's great. i am new to sewing, and it has more than i ever thought i needed to know about sewing. it also has patterns for beginners!

I am a beginner so I love this book. The instructions seem well written and easy to follow. I have read the book, but have not made any of the projects yet, but can't wait to get started. The projects all seem easy enough and I love her use of colors and prints.

My friend recommended this book and I thank her for it....

I am an intermediate sewer, having learned the standard apron and napkin set in 7th grade home ec, some 30 years ago. i saw anna maria on a martha stewart segment and was hooked, even tho i rarely watch martha these days. i've been looking for a great intro book to teach my two girls (12 & 8) how to sew. maybe it's because ann maria has several children or maybe because she's got such joy and childlike qualities to her...this book is perfect for newcomers and kids alike! i actually checked it out of the library first to see if i'd like it and my girls started making the projects, so i HAD to buy it. I love it because the illustrations and directions are SEW EASY to follow that, yes, even a child can follow!

This recent purchase was most disappointing especially since I had held out for a long time on buying this book. The projects were nothing to rave over and none stood out. The only redeeming feature was the pictures of the beautiful fabrics that were used.

I recently bought this book to learn to make something besides napkins. I love all the projects and completed the Taxi Tote tonight. My only complaint is that this isn't really for a novice like myself. I look forward to many enjoyable hours spent making things from this book, but I think I need a little more general sewing knowledge before I tackle a few of the more complicated (to me) projects.

My boyfriend gave me this book for Christmas several years ago and it inspired me to act on my long-time dream of opening my own boutique. Each time I re-read this book, I'm reminded why I love vintage fashion and my new business!

This is one of those books I just stumbled across and wasn't sure whether or not to pick it up. After reading just a few pages I was hooked. Alison's adventures in the vintage clothing trade are fearless, funny and totally addictive. Her shopping excursions are a scream -- even when she's hunting down replacement "barn doors" (back doors to her van that were stolen) in the most unlikely places. The author obviously enjoys life to the fullest and generously shares the realities of making a new life for herself far, far from her original course. Go Alison! And give us a sequel while you're at it.

After reading this book, I look at vintage with a new eye. I loved reading about her adventures with modeling to running her own business. Couldn't put this book down and definetly recommend it to others!

Okay "Alligators, old Mink and new money." by Alison Houtte is one of those books that get the reader's attention by the title. This book tells the story of Alison Houtte a former model who opens a vintage shop, while it was cute it wasn't much more and only took me a day to read it.

I loved the title of this book! While there is good information about vintage clothing, I feel there is too much emphasis on the author's personal life. I loved the stories about her family, but didn't care so much to read about her love life or the nuts and bolts of her modeling career. I had hoped for more of a primer on how to shop wisely for vintage, as it seems to be a wonderful way to save money.