Creating Couture Embellishment

The finishing touches applied to a garment can take it from the realms of the ordinary to the heights of luxury. Creating Couture Embellishment offers a step-by-step guide to manipulating fabric and making and applying a rich variety of embellishments.

Chapters cover fabric-manipulation techniques of pleating, quilting, tucking, ruffling, shirring, and smocking, as well as the fabrication and application of feathers, beading, embroidery, flowers, decorative ribbons and bows, bias bindings and piping, fringe, braids, and passementerie. The heirloom quality created by the insertion or application of lace is also explored.

Featuring a visual index of every embellishment in the book that is designed to offer inspiration as well as showcasing the myriad of choice, Creating Couture Embellishment provides a comprehensive sourcebook of ideas for the student, professional, and home sewer alike.

Ellen Miller taught at Boston's School of Fashion Design, including classes in couture details, construction, and pattern drafting, for ten years. She has also worked in the theater as costumer, wardrobe mistress, and stage hand in the United States and Europe.