Customer Reviews

The Beading Answer Book

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(2)
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Who knew Friskars kids scissors are THE best way to cut fireline? I got this from the library to preview, read 1/2 of it the 1st night, decided to buy it and then showed it to the owner of my fave beading store who decided to carry it. The owner and I both gleaned some new knowledge and got interested in new things. That says a lot with us. This was written by a woman who owns a beading store herself and teaches classes, so she knows all those questions ALL levels seem to ask, and has seen the shortcomings common to so many beading books. She decided to distill her knowledge into a very accessible and well-organized book that is a breezy read but information dense. It seems I usually find books that tell me things I need to know but had to learn the hard way before I find the book. Read this before you read anything else on beading and BEFORE you buy any more beads, supplies or tools.

I bought this book while looking for a good introductory beading book. I specifically wanted a NON-project book, i.e., one geared toward materials, tools, and techniques. I also wanted one with good material on bead weaving, both on and off-loom. This fat little book - 430 pages, does all of that, and it's superbly organized. Having looked through several score beading books, I believe this is one of the best available beading reference books, especially for someone new to the craft.

Here are the chapters:

Getting Started
All about beads
Findings
Organizing Tricks and Tools
Stringing Basics
Other Stringing Techniques
Working With Wire
Off-Loom Weaving With Beads
On-Loom Weaving With Beads
Crocheting With Beads
Other Fiber Techniques
Repairs and Alterations

Plus there is a good glossary, a categorized list of resources, and a good index.

As you can see, great coverage! There are no photos in the book, only illustrations. There are just enough, I think. While more might have been a bit better, at 430 pages, this is already a pretty fat little book.

The format, by the way, is small, intended to be able to fit into a kit or bag. The binding is tough - sewn signatures (sections), with a canvas spine. It should hold up very well.

Very inexpensive, and with more content than many books many times its price. It's an easy buy.

If there are any beading questions left unanswered by this book,either someone is trying really hard to find something obscure to "stump the author," or the bead hasn't been invented (yet). I've been beading for a long, long time, and found information that surprised me. The author, Karen Morris, has more than done her homework finding the latest and greatest in beading information (very few beading books cover ALL of the currently available [2/09] cylinder beads) as well as a brief notation on the oldest of beads, which are among the first items that our early ancestors manufactured.

Not only does she tell you _what_ you need to do, but why you need to do it. For example, the author has a strong bias toward beading wire for strung beads, and tells the reader to use the largest wire that goes through the beads comfortably, which is something I'd been hearing for years. But she also explains that a smaller diameter of wire will eventually break in the middle of the strand, because the weight of the beads will eventually cause their sharp edges to saw through the wire. Gee - that makes sense, and I have never read that before!

Naturally, all the answers are concise, and if you want detailed information on how to make, French Beaded Flowers for example, you want a book that goes into a lot more depth than this one. But, if you simply want to know what French Beaded Flowers ARE, and a quick line on how they are made, then this is perfect. Want to know the different types of crimp beads available, and their relative merits? Check. Opening and closing a jump ring properly? Check. Why you want to use a certain size of bead when loom weaving? Check. You name the topic, and she's got it covered.

Like every beader, Ms. Morris is biased and thinks that there is a Right Way to Do Things. But unlike most authors of bead books, she explains why she feels the way she does. She likes precious metal crimp tubes and tells the reader to use them. but she also tells the reader that the tubes are a lot easier to get right than the round crimp beads, and that precious metal crimps fail a lot less often than the plated base metal ones. Sure, everyone tells you how to crimp a bead on wire, but very few say which size of crimp bead is used with which diameter of beading wire, and even fewer caution the beader to make sure that wire isn't crossed before crimping a crimp bead. Why? Because the crossed wires don't grab onto the crimp bead properly and will come undone. Not bad, and a question every beader will need answered before long.

Ms. Morris even goes into a short chapter on the repair of beadwork, which is something every beginner will encounter, if my experience counts for anything. If you sell someone a necklace, invariably the customer will ask about some old bit of beadwork that has been broken for eons, and can you repair it? The author tells the beader how to roll up her sleeves and bring an old piece back to life and make it last many years. I found that to be a much more practical answer than telling the beader that her customer is being unreasonable, and to avoid repair work at all costs. (which I once saw in a beading book)

Every new beader will get so much information out of this book that she will feel that she's gotten a whole course in beadwork out of one read through. More experienced beaders have seen many of the answers in this book, but never in one place, nor in such a friendly format. Both will enjoy this short, fat tome, and it will find a permanent place on every beader's work table, ready to be thumbed time and time again.

I have been beading for ten years and have LOTS of books, but this is the best one ever. It has everything a beader needs to master techniques and understand beading "lingo". And in addition to all the great stuff inside is the size and quality of the book. It is small, portable, and extremely well made to stand up to years and years of use.

I've been a self-taught avid beader for over 36 years. I just received this book and can't put it down. I'm learning so many new tips and hints to make my progress easier. Everyone who enjoys creating with beads will find this book very useful, whether you are brand new or very experienced. Which threads, needles, findings to use; best way to organize beads; how to make your own handy tools, finishing; just about everything you could think of. What a fantastic (but thorough) little book!

Loved it!! A great little book with terrific answers to all of my beading quandries...and I really like the illustrations too. Sophisticated enough for an experienced beader, but still accessible to beginners like me.

The author, Karen Morris has a writing style that makes The Beading Answer Book easy and interesting to read. It can be used as a reference book or read from cover-to-cover. The Q&A format feels like a conversation with a friendly, knowledgeable teacher. Without being wordy or overly technical, Karen Morris delivers A LOT of information as well as helpful tips and insights.

I'm new to beading and have purchased and read 5 or 6 books on beading and working with wire in the last few months. These are good books with basic information and patterns for projects. In The Beading Answer Book however, the author gets at issues not fully covered in my other books. Example: the author gives a clear, concise and complete list of which wire weight to use on which projects and why (in less than half a page of writing). Page-after-page, I find so many of my questions really are answered.

In my opinion, this book is a MUST for anyone new to beading.

This is a great little handbook the is easy to read. And if you don't know exactly what your question is, just wandering through the book will give you all kinds of tips to jewelry making...things you had not thought of and need to know! I'm enjoying the book.

I'm just a beginning beader and have found this book an invaluable resource for understanding the "what are's" and "how to's" mentioned in many instruction books, which assume that all readers are familiar with the terminology.

I highly recommend this book, at least from my beginner perspective.

Just started making jewelry and found it difficult to get answers to all my questions about when to use what size of wire, size of beads, what are findings, how do I get started etc?
This book is fantastic because it illustrates and explains in detail everything you want to know about beading so you can move forward with confidence and not spend alot of money on stuff you don't need.
Love it! Thank you Karen Morris.