For a generation or more, white on white embroidery, a symbol of purity and elegance, once so desirable, has been neglected by needlewoman and collector alike. The growing importance of antique costume, in the saleroom and among serious students, has aroused interest in the embroidered white accessories that were an indispensable part of the whole ensemble. This book gives a concise summary of the various types of white needlework likely to be encountered. It shows details of the techniques and gives a readable and authoritative account of such diverse types as Dresden work, tamboured muslin, Ayrshire embroidery, Mountmellick and Richelieu work, broderie anglaise, quilting and stringwork. A useful section shows how to identify machine embroidery and Indian whitework. Above all, it will be an inspiration to the modern needlewoman attracted by white on white embroidery.

Pamela Clabburn has been interested in embroidery since childhood. After the war she worked freelance as a lingère, dressmaker, embroideress and textile conservationist until she became Assistant Keeper of Social History at Strangers Hall Museum, Norwich, with special responsibility for textiles.

Beadwork developed as a decorative craft in Europe in the middle ages. It was first used to enhance embroidery but in the seventeenth century complete objects were made from beads, and soon every girl was expected to include it among her accomplishments. This book describes and illustrates the many different styles and types of work and the techniques that were employed. In all its forms beadwork is a careful, skilful and often delicate art which is becoming increasingly appreciated.

Pamela Clabburn has been interested in embroidery since childhood. After the war she worked freelance as a lingère, dressmaker, embroideress and textile conservationist until she became Assistant Keeper of Social History at Strangers Hall Museum, Norwich, with special responsibility for textiles. She is author of The Needleworkers’ Dictionary and The National Trust Book of Furnishing Textiles. Other titles for Shire by this author are:

Embroidered Georgian Pictures £3.50
Margaret Swain 978 0 7478 0256 3 (Album 307) 32 pp, 45 ills.

Meticulously embroidered pictures that could be framed and displayed formed a part of a girl's education throughout the Georgian period in Britain (1714-1830). This book shows the variety of subjects and techniques and also glances at the work produced in American schools. It is a useful handbook for collectors, museum curators and antique dealers, and an inspiration to the modern needlewoman.

Margaret Swain has written many books and articles as a result of her researches into textiles. She has served on the Council of the Embroiderers' Guild and as Honorary Consultant to the Royal Museum of Scotland. She was awarded an MBE for services to the history of embroidery in 1989.

The Identification of Lace£10.99

Pat Earnshaw 978 0 7478 0237 2 160 pp, 161 ills. 

This book guides the reader through the intricacies of identifying a piece of lace, listing and illustrating the points to look for in each lace. It covers the whole range of lace from all parts of the world, selecting for examination those major types which the collector or dealer is most likely to come across or hear about. The numerous photographs are arranged to assist comparison of diagnostic features and to put together laces which might be confused with each other so that their differences, sometimes subtle, can be appreciated.

Needlework and Embroidery Tools £4.50

Eleanor Johnson 978 0 7478 0399 7 (Album 38) 40 pages, 27 b/w and 42 colour illustrations

This delightful book describes and illustrates over 200 items used mainly by Victorian and Edwardian ladies in their needlecrafts: needlecases, scissors, tape-measures, chatelaines, thread waxers, pincushions, thimbles etc. Eleanor Johnson has revised her text previously published in the Shire Album series and has added many colour illustrations for this new book. Other titles for Shire by this author are:

Old Sewing Machines £3.50

Carol Head 978 0 85263 591 9 (Album 84) 32 pages, 50 illustrations

In 1790 Thomas Saint took out a patent on a machine for sewing leather. Though he probably made only an experimental model, it was the first ever sewing machine. In 1850 Isaac Merritt Singer, whose name was to become almost synonymous with sewing machines, made his first machine. Singer combined technical ability with marketing flair, but he did not lack capable rivals. As a result the manufacture and use of sewing machines grew rapidly in North America and Europe, including Britain.

Sewing machines have been part of Carol Head's life for many years. As a textile teacher (now retired) she taught boys and girls how to use and enjoy twentieth-century machines with great success.

Tatting £3.50
Pam Palmer 978 0 7478 0312 6 32 pages, 56 b/w illustrations

Tatting is the craft of making lace with a shuttle. Often thought to be a difficult lace to learn, it is based almost entirely on two movements and, once mastered, can become a pleasant and relaxing hobby. This book traces the history of tatting and gives a description of the basic technique and elements of construction.

Pam Palmer was for many years a tutor at the British College of Lace in Rugby and has made a video teaching tatting skills. She publishes her own design booklets.

Thimbles and Thimble Cases £4.99
Eleanor Johnson 978 0 7478 0403 1 40 pages, 39 colour and 29 b/w illustrations

This book shows the charm of the humble thimble in all its variety, from simple workaday types to rarer and more exquisite examples that gave scope for artists and craftsmen, and indeed still do. It shows possibilities that exist for the collector, including the parallel subject of thimble holders. Previously published as a Shire Album, this new edition has been updated and illustrated throughout with new colour and black and white photographs. Other titles for Shire by this author are: