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All About Wool: Fabric Dictionary and Swatchbook
The third volume in Julie Parker's Fabric Reference Series explains the different fabrics made from wool and similar fibers, using plain English instead of confusing technical jargon. A detailed description of each fabric is illustrated with a real cloth sample, right there on the same page, which clarifies in the simplest way what a boiled wool, crpe, gabardine or whipcord actually looks and feels like.
A comprehensive introduction covers characteristics of the fiber, history of wool, breeds of sheep and other wool-bearing animals (such as camels and goats), types of wool, the main sources of wool, the wool textile industry, industry trends and how to judge quality. The introduction is followed by two-page descriptions of the main fabric types, each illustrated with a 2-1/2" x 4" cloth sample and simple black-and-white drawings. In the back of the book, space is provided for the reader to collect additional samples and record personal notes, followed by a list of mail-order sources, glossary, bibliography and index.
The fabric samples are packaged separately, layered in the same order as they appear in the book. It takes only a few minutes to mount the samples to the book's pages, using double-stick tape or a small spot of glue. Instructions are included. Samples include 30 wool fabrics and 5 specialty hair fibers, in this order: blanket cloth, boiled wool, boucl, cavalry twill, challis, coating, crpe, Donegal tweed, double cloth, double knit, felt, flannel (woolen), flannel (worsted), gabardine, glen plaid, Harris tweed, herringbone, homespun, houndstooth, jacquard, jersey, loden cloth, melton, menswear suiting, novelty suiting, plaid, satin, tropical suiting, tweed, whipcord, alpaca, angora rabbit, camel's hair, cashmere and mohair.
All About Wool is packed with information about the different weaves, yarns and finishes used to make wool fabrics. Terms such as woolen, worsted, merino wool, superfine wool and lamb's wool are clearly explained. A must for anyone who works with or wears wool!
The Fabric Reference Series has been featured in Crafter's Choice, a division of Book-of-the-Month Club. Other books in the series include All About Silk, with 32 silk samples, and All About Cotton, with 42 cotton samples.
- GenresSewing
144 pages, Plastic Comb
First published April 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 6, 2015
5/5; 5 stars; A+
As a reference book, this one deserves 5 stars. I was going to rate it as four stars for content but then decided that, since it is unique and you won't find this content anywhere else, I rated it higher. This book is 20 years old and not easy to find but if you can get it through something like inter library loan, as I did, its worth it. It is very hard to learn about textiles without being able to touch them! The swatches in this book, along with the detail on each type of wool are invaluable.
I really liked the first 30 or so pages where the author gives a good overview of the role of wool through civilization, details on the microscopic structure of wool that accounts for its many fantastic properties, and a thorough description of the process of making wool, from fleece to cloth. There was a section on different sheep breeds as well as information on the current industry. The rest of the book is detailed information on specific wool fabrics.
Even though I live in a large city, there is not one fabric store that you can go to and look at high quality wool cloth for suits or coats, let alone tropical weight suiting, knits like jersey wool or any of the the other types of wool, including those made from other animals such as angora, mohair, or camelhair. Parker's book helped to further my education.
At the end of the book, in the author bio she mentions that some of the information in the book can be found at the website for the Australian Merino wool organization: Woolmark
As a reference book, this one deserves 5 stars. I was going to rate it as four stars for content but then decided that, since it is unique and you won't find this content anywhere else, I rated it higher. This book is 20 years old and not easy to find but if you can get it through something like inter library loan, as I did, its worth it. It is very hard to learn about textiles without being able to touch them! The swatches in this book, along with the detail on each type of wool are invaluable.
I really liked the first 30 or so pages where the author gives a good overview of the role of wool through civilization, details on the microscopic structure of wool that accounts for its many fantastic properties, and a thorough description of the process of making wool, from fleece to cloth. There was a section on different sheep breeds as well as information on the current industry. The rest of the book is detailed information on specific wool fabrics.
Even though I live in a large city, there is not one fabric store that you can go to and look at high quality wool cloth for suits or coats, let alone tropical weight suiting, knits like jersey wool or any of the the other types of wool, including those made from other animals such as angora, mohair, or camelhair. Parker's book helped to further my education.
At the end of the book, in the author bio she mentions that some of the information in the book can be found at the website for the Australian Merino wool organization: Woolmark
September 1, 2017
Still working through it and truth be told, this is really more of a reference book than one that you read from beginning to end. But the introductory pages provide a very good history of wool and the various influences on weaves.
Parker's descriptions and prose are abundantly clear and the swatches for each type of fabric let you see just what you are dealing with for each.
The author also wrote two other books, one on Cotton and one on Silk.
Parker's descriptions and prose are abundantly clear and the swatches for each type of fabric let you see just what you are dealing with for each.
The author also wrote two other books, one on Cotton and one on Silk.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews