Patch work from the past

Press, 16 July 1983, Page 18

Patch work from the past

Patchwork. By Averil Colby. Batsford Craft Paperback, 1982. 192 pp. Index. $16.95. Patchwork has a tradition in Britain that stretches back more than 250 years. After so long, it might seem that there would be nothing new to be said or done, but “Patchwork” shows that over the last three centuries the making of patchworks has changed as often as the fabrics and styles of the times. This book offers little for beginners in the way of simple new ideas or colour schemes. It has 66 excellent photographs but, unfortunately, they are not in colour and give a poor idea of the detail and colour used in the examples. However, the book is a great help to a professional sewer working with patchwork. It is a store of examples of work from earlier

times and adds interesting accounts oi the makers of older patchworks. The book is well laid out and easy to read with a helpful index. It gives a good account of the types of shapes used in patchwork although many of its 149 diagram are rather sketchy. Essentially, this is not a book of craft instruction, but a book on the subject ol patchwork, with excellent illustrations oi famous patchworks and their histories, i— Cathy Lunt. Other titles available in the Batsford craft series include “The Technique ol Woven Tapestry” g(by Tadek Beutlick, 513.75), “Dressmaking Skills” (by Ann Mactaggart, $13.75), and “Hand and Machine Knitting” (by Tessa Lorant, $13.75).