The Art of Manipulating Fabric
by Colette Wolff
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Book Reviews of The Art of Manipulating Fabric
Book Review: A masterpiece for the fabric artist
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of the top ten books that should be on every fabric artist's bookshelf. Authoritative, inspirational, and encyclopedic. The author shows in astonishing detail how to construct texture and 3-D structure with fabric. The cover photo gives you a pretty good idea of what you can eventually make starting with relatively simple sewing techniques. All the examples are worked in simple white muslin, with no contribution (or interference) from color or pattern.
Sections include "Controlled Crushing" (gathering and shirring), "Supplementary Fullness" (ruffles, flounces and fabric insets called godets), "Systematic Folding" (pleats, smocking and tucks), "Filled Reliefs" (cording, quilting, stuffing), and "Structured Surfaces" (darts). The final chapter, "Mixed Manipulations", combines many of the techniques in new ways to make what is essentially fabric sculpture.
Beginners will need some assistance to do some of this, but don't let that stop you. Look through it. Get ideas. Motivate yourself to learn. Even the preface to the book itself encourages the reader to look at the pictures first.
Essential.
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: Think Laura Ashley doing muslin.
Summary: 2 Stars
I read the positive reviews and had hoped to check this out from the library to give it a preview. Unfortunately, they didn't have a copy, but I was so certain that I would enjoy this book and be able to apply it to my designs that I ordered it anyway. While it is very through and well-documented, it is really meant for those with an old-fashioned "crafty" bent to their sewing. I'm talking frills and puffs and applique and quilting and Celtic knots, and lots of it. Plenty of grid-like patterns to be had for the quilting fanatics. If you interpret "manipulate" to mean painting on, slicing, tearing, knotting, or otherwise changing the look of the fabric itself (as opposed to making it puff out or pleated), then this is not the book you are looking for. Another disappointment were the black and white photos. Even though it was just plain muslin being photographed, I felt gypped having paid so much for what resembles a bunch of 1960s textbook photos.Book Review: Fantastic reference book
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a wonderful reference book for all those interested in sewing and embellishing fabric. It's pure pleasure just looking at the pictures! I have given the book 4 stars though because, although I understand that the use of unbleached white muslin for all samples is clearly useful, I would have liked to see the pictures in color anyway, and not just in black and white. A snow-white cotton fabric over a mahogany background or something similar would have been perfect. It would have given the book the final touch of elegance and luxury which all these fabric embellishments are about anyway. A better picture resolution would have been ideal too, but maybe it's just my bad eyesight! In any case, I wholeheartedly congratulate Colette Wolff and thank her for this fantastic addition to the sewing libraries of passionate fabric/sewing lovers like myself, and I will wait for a second edition with more fabric manipulating ideas! The sky is the limit!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.