Weil & Durrs –

As earlier posts (here and here), can prove, I’m occasionally ensnared by the lure of vintage table linens — losing hours to various keyword searches on the topic, scrolling through websites, etc. Today it was thoughts of the perfect holiday tablecloth that did me in. Thankfully, my time consuming linen lust has lead me to this book — and with it the chance to actually learn something about a topic that’s fuzzy in my head. Here’s the publisher’s write-up:

This beautiful book is the first to exclusively present what many agree are the very best of vintage household linens, the products of the Weil & Durrs Company of New York City, from the 1920s to 1984. Their Wilendur and other brands reign above others in the collecting world for good reason. The bold and beautifully executed patterns stand out as art of the highest quality. Their inks and dyes, as well as their base fabrics, were exceptional. This book provides a brief history of the Weil and Durrs Company and descriptive text for over 250 different tablecloths in 120 printed designs…

Textiles at Zena Kruzick -

The website for Zena Kruzick Tribal Art features a diverse selection of non-Western textiles that includes this early 20th century “body cloth” from Nagaland India (detail shot above). The website also has a short bibliography of recommended textile-related books as well as a great long list of links to other tribal art dealers, sites I’ll be happily exploring in the days ahead.

Becky Oldfield & Lost and Found –

Quilts are in the air these days: today it’s an inspirational look at the talents of Becky Oldfield as seen in Elle Decor’s October story on Keith Johnson’s New York City home. Oldfield designed the bed spread above, one that combines the British flag with what appears to be a sari-like brocade border. The entire piece is detailed with seed stitching in white thread. (Hard to see in this picture but the full-page view is on page 173 of the magazine if you can snag a copy). More of Oldfield’s work can be found on her website,  Lost and Found.

Printed Cloth for the Bazaars –

Sara of 5 o’clock crows posted some great large-scale images (detail above) from the book Russian Textiles: Printed Cloth for the Bazaars of Central Asia by Susan Meller. I’ve seen the book in passing but now it’s officially on my wish list — what amazing color and pattern! (And might I comment on the coincidence of how color coordinated this detail shot is with my previous two posts!)

20th Century Pattern Design –

Based on a comment posted to my first monthly-textile-related-book-posting last month, I’m adding 20th Century Pattern Design by Leslie Jackson to the category for May. I’ve also added it to my Amazon wish list! Amazon says “currently unavailable” with no idea when it will be back in stock. So it’s a rare commodity! Weighing in at 3+ pounds and with 200+ pages it looks like a real find.

Fairchild’s Dictionary of Textiles –

I received my copy of Fairchild’s Dictionary of Textiles in the mail yesterday and am loving having a 600+ page book full of textile-exclusive terms! The book was recommend by a friend of my mom’s and now I can really see why — it’s a great resource for both basic and obscure vocabulary. There are, for instance, over twenty five entries for different types of moire, from moire antique to moire taffeta. And then there are oddball entries like “castle” (a word that apparently also means “a raw, white Chinese silk”) and “puke” (“a fine-quality woolen fabric made in a characteristic dark purple. Used in the 15th and 16th centuries for gowns, jerkins, hose”).

This entry is the first I’ve done on a textile book and opens up a new category for future posts. My tentative plan from here on out is to do a book-related entry at the first of each month. So if anyone has a textile book they’re particularly enthusiastic about please post a comment!