a Literary Guild feature (William Morrow,
New York)
Winner of American Needlepoint Guild's annual Literary Award.
The needlepoint designs in this book are based on an unusual source that has not been used for this purpose before--the motifs found in Japanese Nö theater costumes. The extraordinary woven and embroidered silks of which the costumes are made display exciting design forms and luminous color harmonics that adapt beautifully to needlepoint stitchery.
Each design is presented in complete how-to detail, with stitch-by-stitch graphs, color keys, and full-color illustrations, plus black-and-white close-ups of the finished projects. The motifs, partly naturalistic, partly abstract, translate into needlepoint upholstery, pillows, mirror frames, wall hangings, and screens that are effective for both modern and traditional rooms. They are quite unlike any designs you can buy and far less expensive to make. Many small items such as purses are included.
The majority of the projects are not difficult to stitch and feature a single motif. However in the original silk fabrics, the motifs are usually repeated and often laid on a continuous geometric ground. Advanced needlepointers who like to design their own larger projects, such as rugs, will find many of the designs useful for making dramatic repeat patterns.
Though Japanese Motifs for Needlepoint is primarily a practical book, the origins of the designs are so interesting that notes about them accompany the projects, and the place of the Nö theater in Japanese culture is told briefly in the introduction.
The patterns themselves gracefully blend the taste of East and West when rendered in needlepoint, and the craftsmanship with which the author has prepared the graphs and stitching instructions is flawless.
Sally Nicoletti is a painter and first began designing needlepoint when she was in art school. Authentic source material is her special interest as a designer. Her first book, Weaving Designs for Needlepoint, was based on handwoven textiles from around the world. An exhibition of Japanese Nö theater costumes led her to research the fascinating designs that are presented here.
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