Little is known of Villard de Honnecourt; apart from the fact that his Sketchbook is one of the most treasured documents in art history. Active in the early part of the thirteenth century; the French artist produced remarkably accurate representations of diverse subjects that interested him: religious figures; insects; birds; dogs; and humans; architecture; including details from the cathedrals at Chartres; Rheims; and Laon; church furnishings; and mechanical devices. His technique--for the period--was fairly complex; especially when drawing the contours of draped clothing.The artists charming; annotated sketches reveal a knowledge of architecture; sculpture; carpentry; and masonry; and his comments reflect a keen and perceptive eye; whether depicting a monumental clock tower or describing a perpetual motion machine. Comparable to da Vincis notebooks for their historical importance; the drawings from Honnecourts portfolio are reproduced here in their entirety; complete with authoritative translations of the artists words; annotations; and editors commentary.
#1479433 in eBooks 2012-08-02 2012-08-02File Name: B00A73537A
Review
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful. Just About PerfectBy NuJoiI am a sewing nerd. I have to be because sewing is something I dont seem to have a natural talent for. I have to work at it. Although my mother; stepmom and aunts used to sew and sew well; the gift seems to have almost skipped a generation. My saving grace consists of books and online classes. So glad I can count this book among that number.I will be perfectly honest in that I didnt buy this book for the pattern. I bought it for the techniques and that is what Im reviewing. Because this book contains a pattern; Ill use The Colette Sewing Handbook: Inspired Styles and Classic Techniques for the New Seamstress and Sew Serendipity: Fresh and Pretty Designs to Make and Wear for comparison. Both are wonderful books that not just help you construct the included patterns; they teach you how to sew. The same is true for this book. The Colette Sewing Handbook is the best of the three because of breadth and depth. Sew Serendipity and this book are more similar because both really whet your creative appetite with embellishment and customization.Here are my specific love notes about this book:1. The reason I bought the book was because it teaches you how to line the skirt. I am so frustrated about the lack of linings in ready-to-wear fashion and the how-to in most skirt patterns.2. The information is presented clearly. The photos are great!3. The skirt variations are cuteI do think the book lacks in some areas. The first is fit. Although the pattern is sized to 20; there are no instructions for how to alter the pattern if you need a bigger size. What if you find that either the front or back hem is longer than the other? Theres no info on how to resolve the issue. I know thats a problem I will have; but I know how to fix it.The book doesnt have any information about fabric choices or preparation. The technique I wish the book included is how to use hem lace. The book has four options for hems: turned and stitched; rolled; bias and ruffled. I realize Im being extremely picky.This book is for the beginner stitcher. She or he will be able to get a quick win with this book.19 of 20 people found the following review helpful. Love this bookBy junconventionalI have a fascination with the A-line skirt; so I bought this book. There are 17 variations of the skirt from one pattern. The pattern is printed on both sides so you will either need to copy on paper and then piece/cut or you will need to trace the pattern to wax paper or swedish tracing paper. Instructions were clear and there are plenty of photos to know what the end result will be. One of the variations is a maternity version which I dont think Ive seen in a book. Ive made 3 different versions thus far. Also in the book are types of finishes for your skirt like linings; pockets and belt loops. Sizing includes a wide variety of women and since the A-line is so basic; if you fall outside of the size range (0-20) it wouldnt be that difficult to modify.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Excellent book if you have some minimal experienceBy c.p.This book was a little confusing at first because I like to read through instructions before doing them. It was tough for me to understand it all in my mind that way; but once I just dove in and took it a step at a time (reading and re-reading the steps ahead and behind current step along the way); it came together perfectly and I learned new techniques. I mostly sew quilt tops and bags; so rarely ever deal with clothing type patterns. Definitely take the time and effort to make the muslin practice skirt first! I hate doing that; but was soooo worth it. I have a concave lower back; so finding skirts that fit properly is difficult. This fixed that. But I also took a couple inches off the top of the pattern and made adjustments to the muslin test pattern to correct for that also.(make sure you take into account that the zipper will need to be a couple inches shorter if you do this or it may fall lower than you want...this didnt bother me) I had no problem using my regular zipper foot instead of the fancier one that I cant remember the name of.This book is excellent for teaching you the basics of creating a pattern specific to your body type. (Round down to lower size if you are between sizes like I am!) The instructions beyond the muslin practice skirt are all just guided suggestions for different looks. The final skirt I made was simply an eyelet fabric with a matching liner using the instructions for the muslin one that I did first. I love it so much and even had teen girls comment on it and couldnt believe it was "homemade". Lol. If you are at all competent with sewing; get this book. If youve never sewn a stitch or even turned on sewing machine; you might not be quite ready for this; but even a pillowcase or two would prep you for it.