Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving: A Practical Text-Book of Design and Workmanship
Christie, Archibald H.
Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd., London, 1920
An examination of the stitch, the manner of stitching, and the design of the stitches in primarily 17th Century textiles. The author worked with the items first hand and is a good secondary source for the researcher or designer. SB
Intermediate

Embroidery and Animals
Messent, Jan
B. T. Batsford Ltd., London, 1984
ISBN# 0-7134-4333-2
Good book for learning to take drawings of animals, identify which embroidery stitch will convey the essence, and determine the appropriate color combination. The concepts can be applied to historic style embroideries, but won’t help develop the ‘medieval eye’ the historic embroider needs. SB
Intermediate

Embroidery: A Collection of Articles on Subjects Connected with the Study of Fine Needlework, Including Stitches, Materials, Methods of Work, and Designing, and History, with Numerous Illustrations and Coloured Plates of Modern Work
Christie, Mrs. Archibald H. ed.
James Pearsall & Co., London,
Republication in hardback of a series of 6 magazines in the late ’30s to early ’40s. Some of the articles are of interest such as the ones on Schole House for the Needle and Opus Anglicanum. More for fun than for serious research. SB
Intermediate

Embroidery 1600-1700 at the Burrell Collection
Arthur, Liz
John Murray, London, 1995
ISBN# 0-7195-5413-6
Excellent pictures showing various styles of needlework. The text covers design sources, the role of the needleworker in society, as well as details of fabric, thread, color, etc. While items shown are 1600 or later, post SCA, many of the techniques, styles and textiles used were common place in the late 1500s. SB
Intermediate

Elizabethan Treasures: The Hardwick Hall Textiles
Levey, Santina M.
The National Trust, London, 1998
ISBN# 0-8109-6353-1
The original research was done by John Nevinson and completed by S. Levey who worked at the V&A Dept of Textiles. The records indicate much about when the work was done, by whom and for what. Ms. Levey also goes into detail about the manner and materials used. The pictures are detailed and clear enough for a skilled needleworker to copy. If this is your time period, you want this book. SB
Intermediate

Elizabethan Embroidery
Digby, George Wingfield
Thomas Yoseloff or Faber and Faber (London), New York, 1963
Out of print but worth the search. Digby was a Keeper of Textiles at the V&A and an authority on Elizabethan embroidery. No stitch diagrams nor charts, and only a handful of colored photos. Large number of B&W photos. Good commentaries on embroidery & Eliz. Costuming, accessories, & furnishings. He uses inventories for his documentation.IB
Intermediate

Celtic Embroidery
Hubbell, Gerald & Robert Kalthoff (SCA: Gerald of Ipsley & Robert of Coldcastle)
self-published, May 2001
With an eye toward determining what would have been done, they review all the extent items, designs and drawings. From that they suggest methods used and colors. Many drawings are provided for your use as well as the underlying theories behind the drawings. SB
Intermediate

British Samplers
Jones, Mary Eirwen
BT Batsford Ltd., London, 1948, 1988
ISBN# 0 7134 5634 5
Overview of the history and development of samplers. There is a brief section on early samplers and references to Tudor literature. Pictures of a possible pre-1600 whitework sampler is shown. SB
Intermediate

British Embroidery: Curious Works from the Seventeenth Century
Epstein, Kathleen
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation/Curious Works Press, Williamsburg, VA/Austin, Texas, 1998
ISBN# 0-87935-186-1/ 0-9633331-94
More than a catalogue from the exhibit, this book explores the whys and development of needlework from the late 1500s through its development in the 1600s. Facinating to read as well as excellent pictures. SB
Intermediate

Art of the Embroiderer
Germain de Saint-Aubin, Charles
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, 1983
ISBN# 0-87587-110-0
Germain wrote this treatise in 1770 France where he was the royal needlework designer. While not directly relevant to our time frame, the techniques, materials, and dictionary of terms is not much changed from the 16th Century. SB
Intermediate