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Susan was lovely enough to grab this book for me on a recent thrifting trip. She knows what I like!
Needlepoint: The Third Dimension (Copyright 1979) is a freaking masterpiece of 1970′s needlepointy goodness – one which (dare I say it) goes way beyond plastic canvas.
Case in point: let me zoom in on the cover a bit. This is an entire needlepoint landscape, my friends – complete with foliage, a pond, and what appear to be french knot flowers. Wow!
Is this not the best bulletin board you’ve ever seen? Everything about those flowers and their basket is needlepoint. Oh – except for the pipe cleaner edging, which makes the whole thing even more awesome.
Speaking of awesome, this piece needs two photos to communicate all of it’s awesome. So first, this wider shot, which shows an interesting table. But what’s recessed into the top there?
Oh, it’s a needlepoint landscape, complete with topographic contours and dimensional trees!
I might need to go lie down just for a moment….
I also find this scissor case, encrusted with dimensional flowers, really charming.
(Apologies for the image quality here. It’s not always easy to photograph 1970′s printing well.)
Now, this bad-boy is made from plastic canvas. And that is some serious PC engineering. Oh- and, I want one.
Also, Roy is one lucky stiff.
In all seriousness, I’m super excited and seeing needlepoint in new ways now. I recently tweeted that the 70′s was the Golden Age of Craft for me. What’s your Golden Age?
(ISBN 0-13-611004-5. Googling the title turns up many copies.)
I have lots of craft books and magazines from the 70′s and 80′s. Some of my favorite sweater patterns are from magazines from then
mind-blowing!
OMG! What a great book! I was definitely doing this stuff in the '70s and '80s, but my work was more mundane, like the obligatory tissue box cover, although I guess I was a bit subversive when I made a cover for a boutique tissue box with a design that looked like my original 1984 Macintosh computer. When we moved last year, I unearthed this sign that hung proudly in my cubicle for years: http://bit.ly/938u9X
Oh, that is AWESOME, Genevieve! Do you still have that tissue box cover? I could see that thing getting rave reviews in the current blog community.
Amazing how well the old designs hold up, isn't it?
I was absolutely blown away to see my book—old that it is—get such attention—and positive attention at that. Your words are very kind. I am very pleased you like the book so much.
It was such fun to do. My friends and I just kept experimenting. Everyone can create more that she thinks she can—just keep trying. Keep the stuff that works and discard that which doesn’t. Then put all the good stuff together and see what it makes. You might be surprised. It’s not as hard as you fear. Just get started! :)
Jo, your comment has absolutely made my day! How very exciting to hear from the author!
I bought a roll of nylon-coated mesh recently, and have been scheming 3D ideas for stitching that like crazy…
That is SO awesome! What a find. I love the 70s, but my Golden Age of Craft is probably the Victorian era because I've always had a soft spot for beautiful, heirloom-quality crafts that can take half a lifetime to make. No instant gratification for me; I can keep a project going for YEARS. There's a thread crochet tablecloth in my project drawer that I've been working on since 2003. It's gorgeous, but I'll need at least another decade to finish it!
Wow, Mary – that's impressive. I look forward to seeing that in 2020, then! :-)
Wow. Maybe it's just my obsession with baking, especially decorated cakes and cookies, but some of this looks like sugar art. The colors, the textures, the shapes are really interesting. Beautiful! I just started learning the basics of embroidery. I feel like I'm using a bunch of muscles in my hands that I didn't have before.
Wow! I did needlepoint a lot as a child and I would have LOVED to try some of those! I have no idea what my Golden Age is….very good question! Hmmm…
Love this because it's taking 2d- 3d. Which is something I'm trying to do with wire and quilting fabrics. MY golden era was the 80's because I was doing rug hooking, candlewicking, egg head ornaments, god's eyes and the like all the time. Oh, and making Barbie clothes from kleenex's. There's a book in the making. :)
I am a sucker for old patchwork books. I love to hunt around secondhand bookshops to see whats lurking. If I could choose an age it would be the 1930's though. I love what they were doing with textile design then.
Yay! I'm so happy that you're enjoying it so much!!!
My golden age of craft is also the 1970s, definitely. And now.
Woohoo! I found it! http://bit.ly/9avwZE
Wowee. So awesome, I may have to go lie down for a minute. Seriously.
Love this book!! I scored a copy several years ago at a book sale and I love to get it out every now and then to get some inspiration. I'm a sucker for craft books from the 50's, 60's and 70's. For me, the 70's were definitely the golden age of craft. That decade covered the ages of 8-18 for me and my mother and I tried it all! Macrame, ceramics, string art, shadow boxes, candles, soap, seed/aquarium gravel pictures, paint by number, leather craft, you name it. All of my school projects and reports were accompanied by some kind of crafty goodness like dioramas, bread dough typographical maps, puppets, dolls representing historical figures. Those were the days!!
Aw, your upbringing sounds a whole lot like mine, Lynne! Mothers who facilitate lots of crafty exploration are just the best, aren't they?
Holy crap. Mind-blowing. My kids need that plane. And I don't know who needs that golf thing, but it is cracking. me. up!!
un-fricking-believable! it is in three dimensions! what in the world is that path made of? pebbles?!
It looks like birdseed to me – so hard to tell with 1970's printing quality. But if it is, how freaking cool right? :-)
oh my, my, my. this is the kind of book that just…floors me!
Hee hee! I’m a child of the 70′s, too. And I’m waiting for papier mache, decoupage, and yes – macrame to have another day in the sun. :-)