The possibilities for three-dimensional manipulation of fabric - gathering, pleating, tucking, shirring, and quilting woven materials - are seemingly endless. To describe them all would be to describe the entire history of sewing. In The Art of manipulating Fabric, Colette Wolff has set herself just this task, and she succeeds brilliantly. Working from the simplest possible form - a flat piece of cloth and a threaded needle - she categorizes all major dimensional techniques, show how they are related, and give examples of variations both traditional and modern. The result is an encyclopedia of techniques that resurface, reshape, restructure and reconstruct fabric.More than 350 diagrams support the extensive how-tos, organized into broad general categories, then specific sub-techniques Handsome photos galleries showcase the breathtaking possibilities in each technique and aid visual understanding by emphasizing the sculptured fabric surface with light and shadow Textile artists and quilters, as well as garment and home decor sewers, will expand their design horizons with the almost limitless effects that can be achieved|The possibilities for three-dimensional manipulation of fabric - gathering, pleating, tucking, shirring, and quilting woven materials - are seemingly endless. To describe them all would be to describe the entire history of sewing. In The Art of manipulating Fabric, Colette Wolff has set herself just this task, and she succeeds brilliantly. Working from the simplest possible form - a flat piece of cloth and a threaded needle - she categorizes all major dimensional techniques, show how they are related, and give examples of variations both traditional and modern. The result is an encyclopedia of techniques that resurface, reshape, restructure and reconstruct fabric.More than 350 diagrams support the extensive how-tos, organized into broad general categories, then specific sub-techniques Handsome photos galleries showcase the breathtaking possibilities in each technique and aid visual understanding by emphasizing the sculptured fabric surface with light and shadow Textile artists and quilters, as well as garment and home decor sewers, will expand their design horizons with the almost limitless effects that can be achieved|This volume demonstrates the techniques for the three-dimensional manipulation of fabric. It categorizes the techniques showing how they are related, giving examples of both modern and traditional variations. The techniques show how to reconstruct a flat piece of cloth using only a threaded needle.
Author Biography:
Colette Wolff, a self-described “stitcher,” developed her passion for sewing, cloth dollmaking, soft sculpture, quilting, embroidery, garment making, and fabric manipulation to become a highly respected textile artist, designer, teacher and author. As the owner, operator and sole designer behind Platypus, a mail order business for patterns for original fabric dolls, toys, and quilts, Colette developed a reputation for perfection. Beginning in 1969, Colette designed new patterns, taught workshops, published articles in national crafts magazines, and showed her tapestries and sculptures in fiber art venues around the United States. In 1996, Colette’s various endeavors came together when she created a “new vocabulary” of techniques related to the sculpted surface design inherent in fabric maneuvered with needle and thread with the publication of The Art of Manipulating Fabric, a manual of three-dimensional textile techniques. Colette Wolff died in 2020.
