The Art of Manipulating Fabric by Colette Wolff
|
List Price: Our Price: $17.50 You Save: $12.45 (42%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $14.99 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Art of Manipulating Fabric
Book Review: Technical & inspirational, for the art of manipulating fabrics
Summary: 5 Stars
This book holds a vast array of images & instruction on the art of fabric manipulation for all those simple, & yet other seemingly more complicated, details; from frills & pintucks, to flounces & wrinkled pleating. Especially helpful to those who are less than technically experienced in this field, but also VERY inspirational to those who have years of experience but who still have a creative mind.
The book is easy to read & follow, with lots of images clearly showing the design & process, thus allowing the reader to easily find what they are looking for. If you want to have inspiration &/or technical know-how at your fingertips, then this book will help.
We have used it in our Studio as a reference tool when help was needed for a technical procedure; incl a pinstripe skirt, a silk Posh Frock, & a cotton beach top, but we also found, from perusing the pages, that we got great inspiration for new designs when simply looking for help in solving others...have fun!
Book Review: Must have sewing reference book
Summary: 5 Stars
This is not a book meant to teach hand or machine sewing. It does not have projects or project ideas. The instructions are sufficiently detailed, but not lavish. This is probably not a book for a beginner, unless you relish a challenge.
However, it's cram packed with fabulous ideas and techniques for giving shape to fabric. If you've ever wanted to truly understand pleating, smocking, ruffling, cording, or many other fabric manipulation methods, this is for you. It's an eye-opening book. All the fabric used for photos is unbleached muslin, which I like as it allows me a clean slate to visualize my own colors and designs. I plan to use several of the pleating techniques in purse making.
I checked this book out from the library, but I feel I need to own it as I'll want to refer to it often. I can't emphasize enough how inspirational I find this book.
Book Review: inspiring
Summary: 5 Stars
As one reviewer notes, this book focuses on "old fashioned" methods like shirring, trapunto, pleating, etc. but the originality and creativity of the examples are an inspiring display of how traditional methods can be used to create a really dramatic, unique look. Wolff demonstrates many ways to manipulate the large scale texture of the fabric, and the result is NOT something for the timid dressmaker. In fact, many of the examples seem to be from quilts and home-decoration.
(It must have taken her a couple years just to make the hundreds of beautiful muslin samples, which are clearly photographed in black and white! ) I also think these techniques would be great for handbags, high-drama evening wear, and clothing for people who love texture (like me).
Many of her amazing techniques are labor intensive, often hand-sewn, but worth it, I think!
Book Review: How many ways can you sculpt a piece of fabric?
Summary: 5 Stars
Amazing! Colette Wolff has presented innumerable techniques in which simple fabric may be gathered, shirred, ruffled, flounced, given godets, pleats, smocked, tucked, corded, quilted, and stuffed, and how one may use these provocative and remarkable methods of sculpting fabric using combinations of the above.In using simple white cotton muslin, Colette presents to the student a visualization of precisely what one may expect of the diverse manipulations of fabric. A seamstress may take a plain piece of fabric and transform it into a work of art. This book is for the student who desires to go beyond simple seams. Each section is explained comprehensively and given a distinct black and white photo so that one may ascertain the accuracy of one's project.
A must-have for the serious seamstress interested in artistic needlework. Happy sewing!
Book Review: Just plain amazing !!
Summary: 5 Stars
First let me say that I am a simple quiltmaker. But I am a fantastic dreamer! This author has taken all of my dreams and made them come true. I cannot believe the things she does with the most common of fabrics. She sews designs and stuffs them with batting, then creates a wonderful picture with them. She pleats and ruches, too. Welting, cording, smocking, and tucking, are only a few of the lessons in her repertoire. The best way I know to describe her work is to say it's extremely varied in all areas of manipulation and is unlimited in its use. Clothing and quilts become things of great beauty when created using her methods. I recommend this book for all those who are the least bit interested in working with fabric. There are no brightly colored pictures, however. They are just not necessary here.