Old-Time Tools and Toys of Needlework

Rating:
Summary: Not a strong work
Review: Gertrude Whiting's work, originally published in the early 1920's, isn't what I would call a great work of historical documentation. While there are many wonderful pictures of antique needlework tools, there are rarely any specific dates or time periods (other than "ancient" or "old") assigned to many of them. One item is actually mis-identified...she includes a photo of a lucet (a two-pronged tool used to weave stout cords from yarn), and the caption describes it as a thread winder!

Mrs. Whiting's writing style is very similar to that of other books I have read from that time period. Her prose is flowery, and it reflects a very imerialistic mindset. She describes her adventures in the Far East with a very patronizing attitude. Her descriptions of Eastern needlework methods are adequate, but she sometimes does not differentiate between modern and historical techniques.

If you're really in to researching antique needlework tools, get this book for the pictures, but don't rely too heavily on the text for information!

Rating:
Summary: Not a strong work
Review: Gertrude Whiting's work, originally published in the early 1920's, isn't what I would call a great work of historical documentation. While there are many wonderful pictures of antique needlework tools, there are rarely any specific dates or time periods (other than "ancient" or "old") assigned to many of them. One item is actually mis-identified...she includes a photo of a lucet (a two-pronged tool used to weave stout cords from yarn), and the caption describes it as a thread winder!

Mrs. Whiting's writing style is very similar to that of other books I have read from that time period. Her prose is flowery, and it reflects a very imerialistic mindset. She describes her adventures in the Far East with a very patronizing attitude. Her descriptions of Eastern needlework methods are adequate, but she sometimes does not differentiate between modern and historical techniques.

If you're really in to researching antique needlework tools, get this book for the pictures, but don't rely too heavily on the text for information!