Embroiderers' Guild Bookshop - Inspiration

1980s Fashion Print NEW!
Marnie Fogg
Pub. Anova
Price £16.99 paperback
Fabric design in the 1980s could be both dazzingly ostentatious and subtly subversive. This fascinating sourcebook showcases the best of print from that decade of excess, from the breezy, surfing-influenced patterns used for sportswear to the more sophisticated appropriation of classical motifs and architectural detail, via vibrant florals and jungle prints, colourful geometric designs, and painterly, abstract swirls. With over 200 full-colour illustrations, including original artwork from designers as well as finished prints, 1980s Fashion Print is a wonderful overview of an intensely creative period for designers.

500 Beaded Objects NEW!
Wilcox Wells, C (ed)
Pub. Lark Books
Price £16.95 paperback
This is just one of a fabulous new series of books from GMC. Celebrate the amazing evolution of beadwork from a simple craft to expressive art. Every stunning sculpture, vessel, figure, loomed and woven work, free-form installation and piece of jewellery shown in glorious colour photos is gallery-quality and thoroughly unique.

Art Forms from the Ocean NEW!
Ernst Haeckel
Pub. Prestel
Price £15.50 paperback
Following on from the very successful Art Forms in Nature. Art Forms from the Ocean, The Radiolarian Atlas of 1862 by Ernst Haeckel contains 35 colour plates of meticulous drawings of the forms of microscopic marine organisms, depicting variations and progressions in natural forms. A fantastic inspiration for all design work.

Beach Stones NEW!
Iselin, J & Carruthers, M W
Pub. Abrams
Price £9.99 hardback

Botanical Sketchbook NEW!
Mary Ann Scott with Margaret Stevens
Pub. Batsford
Price £19.99 hardback
A practical masterclass showing one woman's progression from modest flower painter to botanical artist of distinction, through the outstanding sketchbooks she produced for the Distance Learning Course run by the Society of Botanical Artists. Illustrated with exquisite examples of the artist's work, including delicate floral compositions, ripe & juicy fruit and vegitables and intricate botanical studies. Packed with invaluable advice, tips and colour swatches, this remarkable book will provide guidance and endless inspiration.

Breakdown Printing now in paperback
Claire Benn & Leslie Morgan
Pub. Committed to Cloth
Price £14.50 paperback
New Dimensions for Texture and Colour

Celebration Transfers for Embroidery NEW!
Odile Bailloeul
Pub. Search Press
Price £12.99 paperback
This book provides festive patterns suitable for Christmas, Halloween, weddings, birthdays, Valentine's Day and more - the selection of patterns included will have something to suit everyone's taste and occasion. The designs can be adapted and used to create beautiful, original pieces, or they can be combined with borders and motifs for a unique look. In the first part of the book is a quick review of the main stitches used, and some useful tips and tricks, as well as embroidery suggestions - where to place the patterns in order to create a pleasing look, plus examples of suggested embroidery stitches. The transfer technique itself is quick and easy to follow - once the reader has chosen a pattern, they simply cut it out, place it on the fabric, set the iron on the cotton setting (no steam) and iron on the design. Amazing range of designs specifically for festivals and celebrations. The transfers are easy to use, and full instructions are provided in the book. The title provides expert guidance on embroidery stitches used, and laying out a design.

Celtic Spirals Handbook
Sturrock, S
Pub. Guild of Master Craftsman Publications
Price £9.95 paperback
This is the perfect practical guide to creating authentic Celtic designs, using Sheila Sturrock's tried and tested methods. More than 100 designs are included, with detailed templates combined with clear plotting instructions, from simple spirals to more complex and challenging designs.

Colourful World
Gallienne, A G
Pub. Thames & Hudson
Price £15.99 paperback
From Mali to Peru, from China to Norway, this book captures all the colours of the world created and used by human beings to brighten their lives.

Contemporary Botanical Illustration with the Eden Project NEW!
Rosie Martin & Meriel Thurstan
Pub. Batsford
Price £19.99 hardback
Brining an exciting fresh approach to botanical illustration, with beautiful paintings that explore bold colour, texture and pattern as well as new approaches to composition, techniques and subject. Winners of the PRACTICAL ART BOOK of the YEAR award, the authors reveal a contemporary twist to this traditional medium. Stunning illustrations of striking and unusual plants fill the book. The paintings are accompanied by clear instructions - many step by step - alongside colour sample, sketchbook pages and worksheets.

Embroiderers & Quilters Sourcebook NEW!
Thompson, A
Pub. Batsford
Price £20.00 paperback
This wonderful book contains more than 1000 photographs of textiles and embroidery from the 17th to the 21st century and from all over the world. Visually stunning, this is a unique sourcebook for inspiration and reference for all types of embroiderers, stitchers and quilters. Many techniques are covered, including quilting, machine and hand embroidery, appliquebeadwork, goldwork, counted thread, stumpwork, applied work, mirror work, cross stitch, trapunto, smocking, tassels, and whitework. This is an essential addition to the library of anyone interested in embroidery or quilting.

Experimental Pattern Sourcebook: 300 Inspired Designs from Around the World NEW!
Jaqueline Herald
Pub. Rockport
Price £25.00 paperback
This collection features 300 designs from the newest generation of pattern designers who are experimenting with new formats to create the most eclectic and inspiring collection of patterns in a single volume. Many designers are fusing hidden messages in their pattern designs which ultimately show up in a diverse range of materials, not just dye or pigments on fabric. A pattern can be lovely looking or perfectly fitting on the thing that it covers - but it gets more interesting if it gives an annotation on the object to which it is connected. This book features patterns from a diverse range of designers from all over the globe who are pushing the boundaries of textiles and printed materials. The patterns featured are delightful and unexpected.

Inspired Velvet (DVD) NEW!
Angie Hughes
Pub. Colouricious
Price £17.99 DVD
Sparkle and glitter your way to success with foils and hot spots. Create enchanting surfaces with velvets as Angie Hughes guides you through 10 inspiring textile techniques. In this textile workshop Angie shows you how to combine velvets with organzas, foils and sweet papers, inks and silk paints to create exciting layers, adding depth to your own work - with this DVD you can learn at your own pace, working through each colouricious chapter

it's just Puff Paint NEW!
Sarah Lawrence
Pub. CraftyNotions
Price £6.50 paperback
These ideas book are 'just' that. Ideas and methodologies to get your creative juices flowing. There is an assumption that you will adhere to simple safety guidelines. Also that readers have some basic knowledge of the free-machine/motion work. The instructions are general in nature and open to wider interpretation. I give you permission to play with these and have fun! You will need a basic level of equipment: heat gun, heat resistant surface (hot sheet), sewing machine (for some techniques), scissors, pokey tool, brushes etc..... and, of course, Puff Paint!

it's just Rusty Stuff A Creative Guide NEW!
Sarah Lawrence
Pub. CraftyNotions
Price £6.50 paperback
The following methods to stain and create a 'rusted' surface for creative textiles require only a simple household chemical - vinegar, and water. The methods described in this book are simple, effective and yet give stunning results. The ideas given will, hopefully, get your creative juices flowing and enable you to tread your own path to a personal style of work.

Jane Austen Fashion : Fashion and Needlework in the Works of Jane Austen
Byrde, Penelope
Pub. Excellent Press
Price £12.95 hardback

Kaleidoscope: ideas & projects to spark your creativity
Suzanne Simanaitis
Pub. David & Charles
Price £14.99 paperback
This book opens new doors of creativity by helping you explore stories, exercises and instructive projects.

Leaves and Pods NEW!
Iselin, J & Hannibal, ME
Pub. Abrams
Price £9.99 hardback
Photographer Josie Iselin uses a flatbed scanner to produce these wonderful and amazingly detailed images of a number of leaves and pods, which she collects over various seasons and from around the world. As well as being a useful sourcebook this book is as beautiful and objects as the beauty of the leaves and pods it so majectically displays.

Medieval Tiles
van Lemmen, H
Pub. Shire Publications
Price £4.50 paperback

Mountmellick Embroidery inspired by nature
Yvette Stanton & Prue Scott
Pub. vettycreations
Price £14.99 paperback
Mountmellick Embroidery is highly textured floral whitework embroidery that originates from Ireland. Allow leading Australian embroidery designers and needlework teachers, Yvette Stanton and Prue Scott, to be your personal tutors as they teach you the basics and beyond of this historic embroidery technique. This full colour, step by step guide with over 600 clear diagrams and photos, will lead you from beginner to advanced Mountmellick stitcher.

Natural History Painting with the Eden Project NEW!
Rosie Martin & Meriel Thurstan
Pub. Batsford
Price £19.99 hardback
The art of Natural History Painting - from 16th-century specimens to Darwin's discoveries - has been given a new lease of life. Award winning authors demonstrate how to capture a myriad of wonderful wildlife on paper, from shells, fossils and bones to fleeting birds & butterflies. Each stage of the painting process is covered, from capturing the moment in sketchbooks and translating tone and detail in pencil drawings to bringing colour and light into your work with waterclour and other media. Packed with practical exercises and techniques for interpreting the textures and patterns of skin, fur and claws and the iridescence of feathers and scales.

Pattern Design A Period Design Sourcebook NEW!
Sian Evans
Pub. Anova
Price £20.00 hardback
This has got to be one of the world's best collections of period designs brought together as an invaluable resource for designers of all kinds, from fabric, textile, wallpaper, stained glass, to graphic and fashion designers. This collection of over 300 designs covers wallpaper, textiles, furnishings, costume, tiles and ceramics. The designs range from medieval through renaissance and the 19th century right up to the 1950's. This is a truly beautiful book!

Peruvian Textile Designs NEW!
Caraway, C
Pub. Stemmer House Publishing
Price £5.50 paperback

Pewter Plus
Sandy Griffiths
Pub. David & Charles
Price £12.99 paperback
Explore the possibilities of working with pewter - a soft, easily moulded metal that can be crafted and embellished to form incredible results.

Photographing Flowers
Bishop, S
Pub. Guild of Master Craftsman
Price £22.95 hardback
Although essentially a photographic book, stitchers and designers will be able to use the wonderful images as a source of inspiration. The colours and textures in Sue Bishop's stunning photographs just lend themselves to being the starting points for design and embroidery work.

Polysymetrics
Olive, J
Pub. Tarquin
Price £4.25 paperback

Pugin's Ecclesiastical Ornament NEW!
Pub. Dover
Price £15.00 paperback

Rigmaroles & Ragamuffins NEW!
Elinor Kapp
Pub. word4word
Price £9.99 paperback
This book offers a collection of textile-related words and phrases that have entered into our everyday conciousness through spoken and written English. An ideal book for those who love textiles as well as those who love words and stories.

Sanderson - The Essence of English Decoration NEW!
Mary Schoeser
Pub. Thames & Hudson
Price £18.95 paperback
PUBLICATION DATE MARCH 2010. Picture the interior of the quintessential English home - whether the chintz parlour of a Victorian terrace, a postwar urban flat, or the majestic blue drawing room of Buckingham Palace - and you inevitably picture Sanderson. For 150 years Sanderson has been at the vanguard of every significant movement in European decorative arts, from Arts and Crafts and Art Deco to 1980s country-house style to the vibrant interiors of the twenty-first century, shaping a distinctive style of English decoration beloved throughout the world. Granted unprecedented access to the Sanderson archives, Mary Schoeser relates the history of the company from its founding to the present day. A preface by renowned British fashion designer Zandra Rhodes and an introduction by Whitworth curator Christine Woods celebrate the importance of the "Sanderson style" in modern British decoration and design. With over 200 patterns specially selected from the Sanderson archives and reproduced in full colour, this book is a font of inspiration for decorators, designers, graphic artists, and collectors.

Secrets of Rusty Things
Michael de Meng
Pub. North Light Books
Price £14.99 paperback
A transformation of long-forgotten objects into engaging works of art inspired by ancient myths and metaphors.

Silk NEW!
Mary Schoeser
Pub. Yale University Press
Price £29.99 hardback

Surfaces and Textures - a visual sourcebook NEW!
Polly O'Neil
Pub. A&C Black
Price £19.99 paperback
This collection of amazing images has been gathered by the author over the last 10 years, providing a wealth of visual imagery for ideas and inspiration. These photographs show surfaces and textures of everything from rust and lichen to skips and old sails. Every surface tells a story and these beautiful images provide a visual sourcebook for artists from all areas of the Visual Arts.

The Arts and Crafts Movement NEW!
Rosalind P Blakesley
Pub. Phaidon
Price £39.95 hardback
A book for makers, historians and anyone interesed in beautiful objects.

The Elements of Design
Oei, L and De Kegel, C
Pub. Thames & Hudson
Price £16.95 paperback
Colour, texture, form and shape are the basis of this sourcebook, with page after page of photographs showing how our environment can be defined in terms of basic elements, including dots, lines, planes and circles. Beautiful and seductive, this book goes beneath the surface in the search for design inspiration.

The Found Object in Textile Art NEW!
Cas Holmes
Pub. Anova
Price £19.99 hardback
Textile artists have always used found objects, both for decoration and to imbue their work with meaning, and recently the practice has become even more popular. Cas Holmes is renowned for her use of 'the found', and her many-layered, atmospheric pieces have been shown around the world. The practice differs from recycling in that the objects often remain 'themselves' when they are incorporated into the work. The work is often conceived and built around the found object. The definition 'found object' can include a wide range of objects, from natural materials such as driftwood and leaves to old bits of machinery and vintage fabrics. Mundane objects such as CD cases can be used to create stunning pieces of art, or more sentimental items such as old jewellery can lend deep meaning to a work. This book contains a wealth of techniques and inspiration for incorporating found objects into your textile work. Cas Holmes is one of UK's most renowned textile artists. She exhibits widely and runs courses at West Dean College. She has written for magazines including The Quilter.

The Gardener's Wise Words and Country Ways
Ruth Binney
Pub. David & Charles
Price £9.99 paperback
The wisdom and sayings of generations are gathered together in this fascinating celebration of traditional gardening techniques.

The Language of Flowers NEW!
Marina Heilmeyer
Pub. Prestel
Price £15.50 hardback
Flowers play a vital role as vehicles of expression. The fascinating history of the symbolism of flowers is presented and explained here in all its facets with entertaining texts and details of beautiful works of art. Thirty-five beautiful depictions of flowers taken from the Renaissance and Baroque periods are reproduced as full-page, full colour illustrations accompanied by descriptive texts.

The Magic Mirror M C Escher
Ernst, B
Pub. Tarquin
Price £7.95 paperback

The Ultimate Book of Optical Illusions
A Seckel
Pub. Sterling
Price £9.99 paperback

Tray Dyeing
Leslie Morgan & Claire Benn
Pub. Committed to Cloth
Price £16.00 paperback
Exploring colour, texture and special effects. This Book contains a DVD.

V&A Pattern - Indian Florals NEW!
Rosemary Crill
Pub. V&A Publications
Price £7.99 hardback & CD
A stylish and accessible new design series - includes a free CD of high-resolution images and removable belly band

V&A Pattern - The Fifties NEW!
Sue Pritchard
Pub. V&A Publications
Price £7.99 hardback & CD
A stylish and accessible new design series - includes a free CD of high-resolution images and removable belly band

V&A Pattern - William Morris NEW!
Linda Parry
Pub. V&A Publications
Price £7.99 hardback & CD
A stylish and accessible new design series - includes a free CD of high-resolution images and removable belly band.

V&A Patterns - Digital Pioneers NEW!
Honor Beddard & Douglas Dodds
Pub. V&A Publications
Price £7.99 hardback & CD
A stylish and accessible new design series - includes a free CD of high-resolution images and removable belly band