All About Cotton: A Fabric Dictionary & Swatchbook [Plastic Comb]

A set of very readable, useful books. ... Many not-so-well-written Ttrade manuals run into the three figures if they include samples, so these are certainly being pushed to the front of my birthday Twish list. They would make a great buy for a club library and excellent gifts for any textile student. -- Machine Knitting News, July 1997

At last, there are two resource books available to the home sewer that provide everything you need to know about cotton and silk. ... Easy to use and a pleasure just to leaf through, these two books are definitely worthy of being included in your home library. -- Vogue Patterns, Sept./Oct. 1993

From batik to voile, 42 cotton fabrics are described in this informative reference book. A swatch of each fabric type accompanies information on its origin and manufacture, sewing and fitting characteristics, care, cost and wearability. Cotton's assets, such as absorbency, and its liabilities, such as susceptibility to mildew, are discussed. A short essay links the cultivation and processing of cotton to the history of the United States through the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution and the current era. Glossaries of cotton terms and finishes, a list of the word for cotton in ten other languages, and mail-order sources are included. -- Handwoven, May/June 1993

If you love fabric, you'll love Julie Parker's meticulously researched and prepared Fabric Reference Series. ... Each book is thoroughly cross-referenced, making it easy to find information about a fabric's characteristics, how it's produced, and tips on its use for home sewers. The information is served up in small, easily digested bites, and combined with delicious swatches for each entry to give you a thorough understanding of the fabric category at hand. -- Toni Toomey, Threads, March 1997

Jam-packed with fabric examples, definitions and helpful hints about cotton fabrics. If you want to see what monk's cloth really is or find out some history on cotton, this is exactly what you need. -- Cotton Incorporated's StyleFile newsletter, Summer 1993

Parker has done a superb job combining all of her skills to present valuable information from the consumer's point of view in clear, uncomplicated language. -- Julie Berner, Northwest Fiber Network, May/June 1993

Parker presents facts and lore about cotton history, the cotton industry and shopping for cotton. She also describes the cotton plant and reports the fabric's assets and limitations. Information about each of the 42 cotton fabrics defined in the book fills a two-page spread. On one page, you'll find detailed fabric descriptions, how it's made and a mini-vocabulary of similar fabrics, related items or terms that need more explanation. The other page is a thorough checklist that provides the following at-a-glance details: degree of sewing difficulty, suggested styles and fit, characteristics that affect construction, care and wearability, likely cost per yard and where to find the fabric, such as major chain stores, fabric clubs or wholesale suppliers. ... The swatched volume allows a chance for hands-on evaluation of various cotton types before seeking one for your next cotton creation. -- Ann Price, Sew News, Sept. 1993

Part encyclopedia, part swatch book, All About Cotton is a beautifully produced, self-published book that explores the cotton fiber and surveys a rich selection of fabrics. ...Clearly the target audience of this book is clothing designers and anyone who sews, but All About Cotton would be a valuable addition to the bookshelf of the serious fiber artist who wants to learn more about fabrics. Moreover, writers of self-published books, monographs, newsletters, or patterns as well as those planning such a project should look towards this book as a fine example of what an individual can accomplish with desktop publishing tools. -- Charlene Anderson-Shea, Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot, Winter 1997/1998

Though written primarily for sewers, a weaver's knowledge is much enriched by the contents of these books. ... Julie Parker's background is in editing and she puts her skills to good use in making the text absolutely clear. If you've ever felt a little overwhelmed in a good fabric store, these books are for you. -- Madelyn van der Hoogt, Weaver's, Spring 1997

The second volume in Julie Parker's Fabric Reference Series explains the different fabrics made from cotton, using plain English instead of confusing technical jargon. A detailed description of each fabric is illustrated with a real cloth sample, right there on the same page, which clarifies in the simplest way what a broadcloth, poplin, seersucker or voile actually looks and feels like. A comprehensive introduction covers fiber characteristics, history of cotton, the main sources of cotton and the cotton textile industry, followed by two-page descriptions of the main fabric types, each illustrated with a 2-1/2 x 4 cloth sample and simple black-and-white drawings. In the back of the book, space is provided for the reader to collect additional fabric samples and record personal notes, followed by a list of mail-order sources, glossary, bibliography and index.

The 40 cotton fabric samples are packaged separately, layered in the same order as they appear in the book. It takes only a few minutes to mount the samples to the book's pages, using double-stick tape or a small spot of glue. Instructions are included. Samples include: batik, batiste, broadcloth, calico, canvas, chambray, chenille, chino, chintz, corduroy, damask, denim, dotted Swiss, double knit, drill, duck, eyelet, flannel, gauze, gingham, interlock, jersey, lawn, Madras, monk's cloth, muslin, organdy, osnaburg, oxford cloth, piqu , pliss , poplin, sateen, seersucker, shirting, terry cloth, ticking, twill, velveteen, voile. All About Cotton is packed with information about the different weaves, yarns and finishes used to make cotton fabrics. Terms such as pima cotton, combed cotton, Egyptian cotton, Sea Island cotton and Peruvian cotton are clearly explained. A must for anyone who works with fabric! The Fabric Reference Series has been featured in Crafter's Choice, a division of Book-of-the-Month Club. Other books in the series include All About Silk, with 32 silk samples, and All About Wool, with 35 wool samples.