Blackwork Embroidery

Rating:
Summary: historical review
Review: Geddes writes a consise overview of the history of Blackwork that is easy to read and digest. She references many authors, paintings, and such; but there is NO bibliography. patterns are included, but are NOT referenced, so they cannot be used as documentation on a reproduction. Excellent B&W reproductions of famous 16c. paintings.

Rating:
Summary: historical review
Review: Geddes writes a consise overview of the history of Blackwork that is easy to read and digest. She references many authors, paintings, and such; but there is NO bibliography. patterns are included, but are NOT referenced, so they cannot be used as documentation on a reproduction. Excellent B&W reproductions of famous 16c. paintings.

Rating:
Summary: Blackwork Embroidery by Geddes & McNeill
Review: I must admit I was hoping for more from this book but was rather disappointed with it. There is a short section on the history of blackwork that makes some assumptions about historic pieces without explaining why the author believes it and in some cases seems to be contradicted by other writers on the topic. The author also makes a strange statement about it 'being wrong' to do the historic styles of blackwork as that society (Tudor through Stuart eras, I presume) no longer exists. There is a brief bibliography at the end of the chapter -- which seems a rather odd place for it.

The fillwork patterns are not charted and look to be be hand-drawn. Not very well either! Uneven and since this is counted thread work, they'd be difficult to use. There is no documentation for the sources of the patterns either.

The thing that I find the biggest waste in the book is the author's nearly twenty pages of 'rough sketches' of designs for pieces that may or may not be included and even if they are, it's certainly nothing I'd want to do.

Rating:
Summary: Blackwork Embroidery by Geddes & McNeill
Review: I must admit I was hoping for more from this book but was rather disappointed with it. There is a short section on the history of blackwork that makes some assumptions about historic pieces without explaining why the author believes it and in some cases seems to be contradicted by other writers on the topic. The author also makes a strange statement about it 'being wrong' to do the historic styles of blackwork as that society (Tudor through Stuart eras, I presume) no longer exists. There is a brief bibliography at the end of the chapter -- which seems a rather odd place for it.

The fillwork patterns are not charted and look to be be hand-drawn. Not very well either! Uneven and since this is counted thread work, they'd be difficult to use. There is no documentation for the sources of the patterns either.

The thing that I find the biggest waste in the book is the author's nearly twenty pages of 'rough sketches' of designs for pieces that may or may not be included and even if they are, it's certainly nothing I'd want to do.