Diane S. (rvdreamin) reviewed Art and Craft of Hand Weaving including Fabric Design on + 86 more book reviews
Hardcover. Here's what Amazon reviewers have to say:
Ms. Blumenau taught weaving in the Teachers College at Columbia University and at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She was the Curator of Textiles at the Cooper Union Museum, now the Cooper-Hewitt Museum. She traveled the world over to get a handle on all that is hand woven throughout history to modern times. She explains that weaving, or the interlacing of fibers, started in the Neolithic Age, about 11,000 years ago. In Greece, Egypt and Peru, there are woven textile fragments from 2 millenia ago. She discusses the evolution of fibers and looms from all over the world. There's a photo of a big Merino sheep from Australia so you get an idea why Merino wool is so valuable. Photos of silk moths emerging from their cocoons or silk being produced in Japan by one woman. In addition to these and other animal fibers, there is also flax, wood and cotton. There are share croppers picking cotton in the hot fields of the South on one hand, and on the other are the many synthetic fibers like rayon, the first one, which was invented around 1900. She also covers looms, warp & weft, spindles, staffs, shuttles, baskets and has an entire section of detailed weaving patterns with their charts, in this extremely detailed book. There are many, many photos of every kind of loom throughout history.
This book has detailed instructions on weaving, including a brief history of the craft. The book also shows sample weaves, explains the procedure of fabric design, and gives information on types of yarns.
Sections include:
part 1: evolution, looms, weaving procedure with glossary
part 2: fibers, natural and synthetic, yarns including count and dyeing
part 3: weaves, drafting symbols, draws, types of weaves, twill and variations, satin, basket, rib, honeycomb, lace, backfilling, double cloth
part 4: design
an excellent reference and introductory book to weaving
136 pages including index, first published in 1955, Illustrated with black/white photos, line drawings by Martin Norman, and diagrams.
Ms. Blumenau taught weaving in the Teachers College at Columbia University and at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She was the Curator of Textiles at the Cooper Union Museum, now the Cooper-Hewitt Museum. She traveled the world over to get a handle on all that is hand woven throughout history to modern times. She explains that weaving, or the interlacing of fibers, started in the Neolithic Age, about 11,000 years ago. In Greece, Egypt and Peru, there are woven textile fragments from 2 millenia ago. She discusses the evolution of fibers and looms from all over the world. There's a photo of a big Merino sheep from Australia so you get an idea why Merino wool is so valuable. Photos of silk moths emerging from their cocoons or silk being produced in Japan by one woman. In addition to these and other animal fibers, there is also flax, wood and cotton. There are share croppers picking cotton in the hot fields of the South on one hand, and on the other are the many synthetic fibers like rayon, the first one, which was invented around 1900. She also covers looms, warp & weft, spindles, staffs, shuttles, baskets and has an entire section of detailed weaving patterns with their charts, in this extremely detailed book. There are many, many photos of every kind of loom throughout history.
This book has detailed instructions on weaving, including a brief history of the craft. The book also shows sample weaves, explains the procedure of fabric design, and gives information on types of yarns.
Sections include:
part 1: evolution, looms, weaving procedure with glossary
part 2: fibers, natural and synthetic, yarns including count and dyeing
part 3: weaves, drafting symbols, draws, types of weaves, twill and variations, satin, basket, rib, honeycomb, lace, backfilling, double cloth
part 4: design
an excellent reference and introductory book to weaving
136 pages including index, first published in 1955, Illustrated with black/white photos, line drawings by Martin Norman, and diagrams.
