Nancy Arthur HoskinsCritiques

Alice Knapp

This volume would be great to use as the text in a year long (or more) study group. Through a large number of samplers, you learn different techniques and structures for creating pictures and designs in weft faced cloth. Think tapestry and rugs - almost any piece of woven cloth that doesn't need drape or be pliable. Plain weave, twills, twills on opposites, Krokbragd, point twills, taqueté, samitum and more are included in this large volume. There are many, many diagrams, designs and drafts. Woven examples are shown for the most part in color photographs. Hoskins doesn't leave any stone unturned in this exhaustive study of weft faced weaves.

The first chapter in this book teaches the five universal stitches and provides detailed diagrams and learning projects for mastering each. It is useful to practice stitches for future projects and then having samples of the stitches available when applying to personal projects.

The second chapter shows quite a few inspirational weaving, embroidery, and needlelace pieces. These will show you what can be done and how the stitches and weaves look on finished pieces.

Chapter three focuses on how the five universal stitches where the writer has developed a method of learning stitches with a unique, visual diagramming system. This is were the book is completely different from any of the reference books I have in my home library. This system could be very useful due to the confusion created by the usage of common names.

Today there is a real need for this book so fiber artists can find inspiration and guidance to explore the possibilities. This book would make an exceptional addition to the beginning and experienced fiber art artists.

Universal Stitches offers valuable information for weavers, embroiderers, and other fiber artists. Starting with five basic stitches -- interlacing, wrapping, looping, chaining, and knotting -- Hoskins explores how each type of stitch is made. In the second section, she examines a number of historic textiles to see what kinds of stitches are used in them, and these are keyed to the charts in Part Three. The heart of the book is Part Three, which contains 50 or so pages of organized charts that show how to use various stitches and variations in weaving and on fabric; each stitch in the chart has directions in text, plus diagrams, and each is coded with a number. There is so much information that it's a little difficult to take it all in, but once you get used to the charts the organization makes more sense.
I should note that the book was originally published in 1982, and my review is based on that edition. There is a new edition, published in 2013, which I have not seen.

Boundweaving teaches you how to design, draft and weave interesting and intriguing weft-faced patterns and figures formed with bound woven techniques. You will learn how rose path threading (1,2,3,4,1,4,3,2) can create an infinite variety of designs by varying the tie-up, treading, and color order of the wefts. The three sample projects woven could become an elegant evening purse in silk or peele cotton, a casual clutch in cotton or wool, or an eyeglass case. The same projects could be enlarged for pillow or even framed wall pieces. The boundweaving theory and weaving techniques learned and practiced will prepare you for further explorations with the weft-faced weaves used in rug weaving. 111 minutes. 2 discs, supplemental instruction sheet

An essential guide if you want to know how fiber arts really work and not just copy stitches and patterns.

Journal #75, May 2004

19.95, 111 min.

Journal #69, May 2002