The Art of Manipulating Fabric
by Colette Wolff
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Book Reviews of The Art of Manipulating Fabric
Book Review: This Book Changed My Life
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm really not exaggerating. Nor do I often (ever) write book reviews. I knew I wanted to do something "creative," I had tried classes in various things that were fun but not quite "there." Interior design, color theory, drawing, drafting, art history, and even two in MS Access database design! And then I saw this book in the flesh at a store and bought it on the spot (sorry Amazon!) I read it straight through, unable to put it down. Afterward, I wanted to see and own all the muslins. I wanted to put them together into sculptural objects. I wanted to know all the things that Ms. Wolff knows about fabric and sewing. I wanted more books, some fabric, and my ancient Singer. I wanted to do it having no idea where I'd end up! So beyond all the lessons in how to do particular things that the book contains, it inspired a passion in me to work with cloth. It built a fire inside me about possibilities, and I began to see the book as beckoning me to try, with cloth as the medium. I grew up as a child threading my Grandmother's needle but hadn't sewn myself since high school.
All this was two years ago, and in the interim I have been working hard on my new passion and have created (and modified many times over!) a design all of my own. I'm entering juried fiber arts shows, and selling pieces. I work on this every day. And in addition to the motivation to start, this book's details are a central reason why I could realize my design. I would not have been able to do it without one of the very last things in the book--how to create a round spherical form to an exact size by darting a flat circular piece of fabric. When I bought the book, I never knew that this part of it would make all the difference. In fact, I didn't know it until I returned to the book with my problem still pretty unformed in my mind and was able to say, now I see that *this* is what I need! So thank you, Ms. Wolff, thank you very much for investing this huge amount of your life into this book, and for inspiring and educating me, and I'm sure many others as well.
Book Review: Astounding achievement
Summary: 5 Stars
Firstly, it should be said that Wolff tackles fabric with an artist's approach, with a strong sculptural bent, with the intention of transforming a usually flat medium into something expressive, three-dimensional, voluminous, and with physical presence.
Also let me express shock and awe at the sheer density of information in this book. Excluding the title and content pages, and the index located at the back of the book, I can vouch that LITERALLY every page of this magnificent publication is completely full of hand-drawn illustrations and black & white photographs, accompanied by detailed descriptions of the technique/method. I mean it--every single page has at least one if not five or six fantastically detailed images.
This is not one of those trendy books with cutesy inset "pro tips," chapter headings with punny names, blank pages and full-page photos in between everything, and tons of semi-relevant and not-very-useful anecdata. This book immediately gets down to business, in the most pleasurable way. It's so solidly jam-packed with ideas and techniques that it blows my mind.
This book is such a rare gem especially because it can function as a sourcebook for me as well as a how-to manual--the images are of textured abstract samples, not of chintzy finished-product curtains or pants, which allows me to imagine dozens of ways I could use that particular manipulation in my artwork. The samples are all in creamy blank white muslin, further giving that impression of malleability and elegance.
That's the overall beauty and draw of this book, really--it's not a project guide book. It doesn't have weekly goals like "make a funky tote bag" or "sew some ruffled curtains!". The knowledge it bestows upon you is knowledge you can use broadly, anywhere, and causes you to think creatively.
I LOVE this book!! Best thing I've bought in months, possibly years.
Book Review: Amazing. Wow. Just "wow."
Summary: 5 Stars
Okay, I know next to nothing about sewing. I am a sewing Gumby. But my niece is an incredibly gifted fashion designer, and I have to constantly badger her to let me know if there is ANYTHING I can get for her, or ANY WAY I can help her. This book is one of the few things she has briefly mentioned in passing as something she might like. (I took that to mean something indispensable to the pursuit of her career as she is so shy to ask for assistance.) I had the book sent to my place rather than directly to her, just so I could see it, and my first reaction as a non-sewing type of person was "OH My Goodness, I had no IDEA they could do that with fabric!" I meant to send it to her as soon as I received it, but it was so fascinating, even as a non-seamstress, that I shamefully retarded the delivery to its rightful owner by at least a week. I took it to my friend's house so she could see it. I even showed it to my boyfriend (for whom absolutely NO craft manual could ever hold an interest), and he even exclaimed "My goodness, babe! I had no idea fabric could this! I have to say this is amazing..."
Okay, in all fairness, maybe he was humoring me. In any case, I sent it to my niece. I happened to be on the phone with my sister when it was delivered. She opened the book and started exclaiming, "Wow! How do they this?" To which I simply replied, "Well, they tell you how in the book."
If you like to sew and are beyond the point of making napkins and tablecloths (to which I aspire) this book is for you. It teaches you how to MANIPULATE fabrics. How to make them do what you want them to do.
And isn't that really what it's all about?
Book Review: Maybe for quilters, and people making drapes, NOT for seamtresses
Summary: 1 Stars
I found the instructions obtuse at best. I'm a costumer and I bought this book to develop some original fabric techniques to add to the otherworld flavor of my costumes. But even with years of sewing experiance I had difficulty with this book.
I already know how to do about 1/3 of the techniques and even for those I found the explanations odd. I actully thought that the way she described would make some things harder to do. For instance she goes on about how to avoid having the bobbin threads break when making a large heavy gather. To deal with this I find it simpler to use fishing line or invisable thread in the bobbin. She recommend several other more difficult means, but never mentions this simple one.
Also she seems to go into too much detail on some things an almost none on others. Prehaps English is not the authors first language. THen again she seems to think that a mathmatical formula is worth 1000 words.
There are some interesting ideas that some one working on a flat surface like a quilt might find useful, but I don't quilt so I don't really know. I just got this book today and I'm going to list to sell on Amazon this afternoon, I wasted my $20, don't you waste yours!
Book Review: Inspiring and Instructional! A MUST!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am sop very sorry I waited so long to pick this up. It looked dull from the picture. Recently, I was whipping up some Canadian smocking (ha - I don't whip up smocking:) I struggle the web searching for directions!)for a gown I designed, and the next evening, this was recommended to me by amazon. I broke down, and let me say I wish I bought it years ago! It is instantly inspirational for me. I visualized 10 different new designs the first browse through. And the challenge of doing some of these - I find it a relaxing as knitting. That zen-like state where you need to relax and do it for it to come out right. It is beautifully done. The reason it looks drab is because Colette Wolfe has taken thousands of yards of unbleached muslin and worked them into intricate design pieces usable for fashion, home dec or art. Awe inspiring and lit a fire under me. This isn't your basic pleating and piping book. It is the highest you can go up the ladder of fabric manipulation without the aid of beads, feathers, bells or whistles. When you see the plain muslin stand up all on its own as a work of art, you'll understand my excitement. Only criticism is when is volume II coming out? I know there is more to come!