The Art of Manipulating Fabric

***The Art of Fabric Manipulation by Colette Wolff***

The Sewing Background and Credentials: Colette Wolff has been sewing for quite a while, first learning how to embroider and use a treadle sewing machine before the age of ten.  The foreword of the book written by Robbie Fanning explained that he first became acquainted with her work in the early 1980’s, enjoying the quality of  her quilting, toy making, doll making, and costuming. She had already started a business called Platypus, a catalog of sewn projects and patterns for sale. Wolff also wrote two other books, The Fine Art of Making Faces on Cloth Dolls and Seasonal Patchwork and Quilting. I think she was knowledgeable enough to write this book. The fact that the book contains an immense amount of samples and years in the making, in addition to a long sewing background, she was more than qualified for the job.

The Layout: I find the book a bit difficult to read since there are so many pictures and illustrations that show you how to do each manipulation. The pictures and descriptions are staggered over the pages making it hard to maintain your focus on one item for more than a few seconds at a time. However the sections at the beginning of each concept describing the basic procedures is easy to follow. The instructions are in clear column with easy to follow diagrams. It is explained that each set of pictures is set up in a way that the reader can see the manipulations step by step. The book is not designed to be read cover to cover. The section in the beginning of the book called “Getting the Most from this Book” suggests that you rifle through the pages settling on projects that catch your eye or peak your interest. It also says that when you find something you enjoy you should go to the basic instructions for that type of manipulation and then read through the text for a better idea on how to do it. The book is very well organized and contains both a glossary and an index. The glossary gives you all the definitions of basic sewing techniques so it is easy to understand terms you may have forgot or are not familiar with. The index in the back also contains all the projects listed in the book along with simple terms. A list of selected bibliographies is listed in the back. They are articles that the author used to further her knowledge and techniques. The Art of Manipulating Fabric has a good balance of texts and pictures with descriptions on how to get the desired results and more creative versions stemming from the main concept.

Visual Aids: The images are quite easy to understand. The book does a wonderful job of mixing actual photographs of the finished results and illustrations with instructions. The illustrations are quite realistic showing you curves and ruffles as they would look on real fabric. The photographs have no distractions, just showing the final product close enough to see the details.

The Writing Style: The instructions are clearly written and you can tell that the author is creative and has been sewing for a while. Each step is clearly defined on the basics, making sure that you understand the concept. There are extra instructions that I enjoyed called Notes and Variations, giving you additional instructions on how to make the basic concepts more unique or structured. The tone of the instructions are a bit formal, giving you precise directions. I would also say that it can be informal, since part of the book wants you to explore your own designs and try modifying what is provided. I personally like the instructions being clear and straight forward with the intent of you not always following them. It allows you to be more creative. The book did not come with any additional items for learning. I would recommend this book to advanced sewers, but also to sewers with a basic knowledge. In the “Getting the Most from this Book” section it states “Mishaps inevitably occur, but when they do, don’t give up. Booboos are innovations in disguise.” It gives new sewers a chance to see what you can creatively do with fabric and open the possibilities while at the same time advanced sewers can further their skills and challenge themselves with the more complicated designs. My overall impression of the book was that it was very well put together, immensely detailed and imaginative. It really showed me the possibilities that can come from knowing basic sewing techniques and applying them to a greater design. Considering the age of the book, I think it well worth the price and I would recommend it to any designer looking for new techniques.