Nomadic Embroideries by Tina Skinner with the Sam Hilu Collection, hardback published by Schiffer in the USA. Available in the UK and EU, ISBN 978-0-7643-3032-2, price 39.95 from www.bushwoodbooks.co.uk

This is a truly sumptuous pictorial guide of the tribal embroideries from the  Gujurat Province in India. Explore the colour and stitches, the form and design of these wonderful treasures from the 1900’s to the 1970’s. There is little in the way of text but the images speak for themselves. This is a fantastic resource book full of inspiration. I really love this book.

Southeast Asian Textiles by Claire and Steve Wilbur, hardback published by Schiffer in the USA. Available in the UK and EU, ISBN 0764318101, price 32.50 GBP from www.bushwoodbooks.co.uk

This is a superb pictorial guide to the textiles of Southeast Asia including many styles from different countries. The informative text talks about technique, design and pattern. It looks at embroidery, batik, the type of cloth you might encounter and so much more. A fascinating and unique insight to these wonderful textiles.

Traditional Kimono Silks by Anita Yasuda, softback published by Schiffer in the USA. Available in the UK and EU, price 27.50 GBP from www.bushwoodbooks.co.uk

A sumptuous look at the timeless design of traditional kimono silks from the 1920’s onwards. The designs have been categorized into themes in this pictorial guide representing over 400 designs. The floral and wave sections appealed to me most of all. The book also includes an all too brief introduction to Kimono history and styles. Superb for textile designers and students of Japanese or Asian design.

Eastern European Folk Designs by John Gabrian Marinescu, softback published by Schiffer Publishing in the USA. ISBN 0-7643-1706-7, price 24.95 available in the UK and EU from www.bushwoodbooks.co.uk

Discover almost 300 full colour patterns from Romania. These are easy to adapt to graphs for use in knitting and textiles. This is an excellent reference for designers and collectors alike. There are also photographs of pottery and Romanian architecture and people. However, the book is slightly marred by some poor photography on some pages, but certainly not enough to spoil the overall effect or detract from this tremendous work. The front cover gives just a taste of what is inside.

African Prints by Shirley Friedland and Leslie Pina, softback published by Schiffer in the USA. ISBN 0-7643-0694-4, available in the UK and EU, price 19.95 from www.bushwoodbooks.co.uk

If you are interested in African prints, this book shows many examples of all types that are commercially produced. From animals to abstracts, these colourful prints are useful to designers and collectors of all things African. However, these are not the traditional African prints you might be thinking of, although some motifs are inspired by traditional prints.

Foliage Textures, Royalty Free Art for Designers, softback, spiral bound with 2 CDs fro mac and PC, published by Schiffer Books. ISBN 0-7643-2289-3, price 39.95 US dollars available from www.schifferbooks.com, also in the UK and EU, price 32.50 GBP from www.bushwoodbooks.co.uk

Whilst this is no doubt a useful book, royalty-free designs are always welcomed by designers, it is let down in some areas by poor quality photographs. Images of leaves, plants and backgrounds are available amongst the 125 included and the CDs are a bonus as you don’t need to scan anything. The single, cluster and silhouette section is very good. The grasses and groundcovers is a poorer section with many photos suffering from shade and shadows or too much sun, and at least one not good enough to blow up to A4 size. The same is sadly true of much of the rest of the book. Effectively this means the 125 photos are reduced to about 20 per cent of the book being useful.

The Quilt: New Directions for an American Tradition by Quilt National, softback published by Schiffer Books. ISBN 0-916838-92-7, price 10.95 US dollars available from www.schifferbooks.com, and in the UK and EU, price 9.95 GBP from www.bushwoodbooks.co.uk

The first thing I have to mention is that this book represents quilts from a 1983 exhibition of Quilt national. Quilting had just come of age, it had left the grandmother image behind and made steps towards being an art form. So why would I recommend that you buy this book, 27 years on? For two reasons, one it stands as a historical record of those early days and two it has some jolly good designs inside. See what was considered breaking ground then and compare to today’s quilts. Nicely presented although the text sections look dated now, many of the quilts stand the test of time.

Quilting Traditions by Patricia J Herr, published by Schiffer Books. ISBN 0-7643-1121-2, price 29.95 US dollars available from www.schifferbooks.com in the USA, and 24.95 GBP in the UK and EU from www.bushwoodbooks.com

This book serves a dual purpose, a record of historical quilts along with the people who made them and an inspirational tool for traditional quilt design. Subtitled ‘Pieces From the Past’ it traces the history of quilting in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. The text is interesting and informative and the book is well illustrated. All types of quilts are covered from log cabin and crazy quilting to motifs particular to the region. If you are interested in quilting and the history of quilting, this should prove useful.

Geometric Ornament in Architecture, Art and Design by Claudia and Thomas Weil, hardback published by Schiffer in the USA. Available in the UK and Europe, ISBN 978-0-7643-3379-8, price 39.95 from www.bushwoodbooks.co.uk

Not only does this book have a distinctive cover, it is full of appropriate examples of geometric designs. The designs are intended for adornment and there are examples of possible uses given throughout the book. There is an initial introduction, but the main body of the book is given over to 1,000 examples, split into 14 groups from the extended octopus to random layering. I can see the potential of this book for many designers and I shall be looking at it with an eye to developing textiles and more besides. A wonderful resource.

Fiber Expressions, The Contemporary Quilt, softback published by Schiffer Publishing. Available in the UK and Europe, ISBN 0-88740-093-0, price 10.95 from www.bushwoodbooks.co.uk

This book shows 90 quilts that were entered into Quilt National in 1987. It is an historic record of the developments in quilt making. Most of the ideas are just as important now and can be developed further with your own twist. It is a tribute to the artistic nature of some of America’s finest quilt artists.