I have written two books. The first was called African Inspirations in Embroidery and was published in 2004 by Batsford as a hardback (ISBN 0-7134-8921-9). It is no longer in print, but is recently available as a paperback edition (see below). My second book Exploring African Themes in fabric and stitch has just been published (June 2009).
You can buy these books direct from me using Purchase Books in the menu on the left.
My first book: African Inspirations in Embroidery
The book has just been reprinted in paperback with a new cover (ISBN 978-1-906388-32-4). There are more than 90 colour images of the African people and landscape encountered in my travels and research in southern Africa. These images together with textiles, beadwork and artefacts collected during many years of travel and study in southern Africa provide the inspiration to explore the journey from source material through the design process to completed textiles. The book includes information about traditional craft and culture, ways of recording and developing design ideas, textile techniques and samples and a wide range of textile art. I hope that some of the joy, mystery and magic of Africa, its people and culture will rub off on readers.
Some images from the book
| Baskets, pots and gourd |
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| Page from my sketchbook |
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| Kirdi beaded apron |
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| Hand-made beads |
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| Kapapa's bags: a series of bags inspired by the Xhosa |
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Photographs by Michael Wicks. Reproduced with kind permission from Batsford. © Batsford 2004
My second book: Exploring African Images in fabric and stitch
Exploring African Themes in fabric & stitch (ISBN 978-1-904499-32-9) shows how to use African sources as inspiration for design. Following on from my first book, it explores new themes based on materials, construction, recycling, decoration, embroidery and embellishment. The focus is on using innovative and imaginative ways to develop individual ideas. As well as providing inspiration, the book contains clear instructions for a range of processes and is lavishly illustrated with over 150 original photographs by Roger Sleigh. Exploring African Themes will be a delight not only for those who enjoy African culture, but also for those who want to develop their own creative skills.
The book is in an A4 format with 125 pages.
Some images from the second book
| Indigo dyed fabrics |
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| Two beaded containers using recycled items |
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| N’wana child figure - from the University of Witwatersrand Collection |
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| Part of a ceremonial raphia cloth |
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| Dyeing with woad |
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| Pouch made with stiffened silk |
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| Decorative seams |
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| Porcupine Book |
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| Safety pin brooches using patinated metal |
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| Machine stitched eyelets inspired by Hausa embroidery |
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Photographs were taken by Roger Sleigh and © Roger Sleigh 2009
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