Howard, Constance - Design for Embroidery from Historical Sources

I've gotten a bit sick again - that's why I've been quiet, but I have quickly read Constance Howard's Design for Embroidery from Historical Sources.

The book is a cross between  
Barbara Snook's Historical Embroidery  which describes history on design change and technology/materials, with lots of design *drawings*, which - althought I can provide no source, I have read are not terribly accurate (but the book is good although fairly brief)


and
 
Embroidery Masterworks; Classic Patterns and Techniques for Contemporary Application by Virginia Churchill Bath, who talks about re-designing various extant items from many periods using techniques for 'more modern tastes" (which one might freely ignore or maybe like a particular idea, it's not like she's adapting them to machine work!) but talks about the original implementation of the embroidery in technical detail as well.

There are many many useful small pattern segments drawn in clear black and white in the book and black and white (not great) photos of extant items. I'd like to do so many of the projects! It's very educational to read.


Here's one page :

Mary Corbet recently featured the hard to find needlework bookshop  hardtofind@needleworkbooks.com.
In the Ecclesiastical section (coz those projects are mixed silk and goldwork - just what I like) I found the Hilda Hands book!!!!

I've wanted this book for years - ever since Mary featured part of one project from it at

http://www.needlenthread.com/2007/03/goldwork-sampler-pattern.html.

I've never ever seen the book on sale and I have searched for it periodically.

Here is the piccie of the project - I imagine the rest of the book is similar....the Great and Only Mary reviews the Hilda Hands book at the link above. :-)

It was only $35! :-) Bette from HardToFindNeedlebooks is lovely, and very helpful.