White Work: Techniques and 188 Designs (Dover Crafts: Embroidery & Needlepoint)

White Work: Techniques and 188 Designs (Dover Crafts: Embroidery & Needlepoint)

<p>In dozens of countries and in hundreds of varieties, the venerable craft of white work has become a byword for the ultimate form of needlework elegance. Its 3,000-year history encompasses every conceivable form of garment and decorative linen, from peasant blouses to papal vestments and the bridal gowns of queens; it appears in many guises as the favored embroidery of needleworkers from Denmark to South Africa, from England to the Philippines.<br />Unfortunately, white work has frequently been neglected in the United States because of its underserved reputation as a difficult form of embroidery - the type of work that, as author Carter Houck states, is never seen "beyond the glass cases of a museum." In reality white work can be performed at all levels of expertise; even more important, Ms. Houck shows that superb results can be achieved without laborious practice and prodigious technique. From these pages white work emerges as a vibrant and continually evolving form of contemporary embroidery that is both beautiful in itself and valuable for its myriad uses.<br />Ms. Houck assumes no previous knowledge of white work and provides complete information on materials, pattern-transferring techniques, and instructions and diagrams for over 20 stitches: the simple chain stitch and running stitch; satin stitches and French knots; and more difficult "virtuoso" techniques like the Star and Shadow.<br />Following the instructions are 40 pages of magnificent patterns, including florals, repeats, abstract designs, spot and corner decorations in a wide variety of sizes and moods, and two complete sets of alphabets for use as monograms. For each design Ms. Houck has suggested a stitch or stitches that produce optimal effects. As a result, the book acts as a self-contained guide to white work that can transform blouses, cuffs, collars, scarves, place settings, curtains, or any embroidery medium into treasures of heirloom quality.<br /></p><p></p>