48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unique, different, enchanting, April 16, 2001
This review is from: Beading with Brick Stitch (Beadwork How-To) (Paperback)
Diane Fitzgerald has tackled a brave subject with flair and refreshing approach. Brick stitch is the step-sister to the popular peyote stitch. Brick does not work up as quickly, has a slightly longer learning curve, and simply has not enjoyed the popularity of peyote stitch, perhaps because peyote is linked to the wildly popular amulet bags and brick stitch was the mainstay of hippie earrings. This doesn't seem to bother Fitzgerald at all. And long before the end of the book, it does not bother the reader either.
Fitzgerald proves over and over that brick stitch has its own special uses-through increases and decreases, it can curve over uneven objects. It can be used to create three-dimensional forms that hold their shape and have an appealing look and texture. The possibilities are many and the techniques within the grasp of most beaders.
Fitzgerald makes the most of both her audience and the contents of the book. ...the book is filled with projects with detailed instructions and pictures that make the most resistant beader reach for threaded needle and beads. The 30-page gallery contains not just wonderfully-photographed objects, but great ideas. Necklaces, pins, bracelets, vessels, sculptures, decorative beading, and objects of fascination all appear in the pages. Unique, different, enchanting.
The book begins with a history of brick stitch, the different names, the origin of similar beadwork, and a focus on objects that defined the art. It moves into the obligatory tools and techniques, but with a twist: Fitzgerald assembled a group of beaders who tackled each project for difficulty and instructional sense. And their different results are shown. That raises this book head and shoulders above most how-to beading books.
It's best to work through the book with an eye to the steps that you need to know before you tackle a project. Dedicated beaders can learn what they need to know as they work through a project, but it helps to learn the technique first. Fitzgerald deserves a prize for that idea alone.
Far too many teachers cave in to student demands that the first attempt should result in a gift-quality result. Fitzgerald is not ashamed to get you to try the technique first on trial piece. But, if you are a gifted and advanced beader, she also shows you how to assemble those initial attempts into an impressive sampler.
This book will become one of the "must have" books for the bookshelf. And it won't spend a lot of time there, either. Expect to have it on your work table almost all the time.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent instructions and projects, August 3, 2004
This review is from: Beading with Brick Stitch (Beadwork How-To) (Paperback)
I found Beading with Brick Stitch an excellent book for learning how to do brick stitch. On working several of the projects, I found the instructions quite clear, and these were the first time I had done brick stitch. Several pluses put this book on a level above many beading books: the history of brick stitch with pictures of traditional uses; the inclusion of single-stack, double-stack and triple-stack brick stitch graph paper to copy; many different photos of each project as made by the author's friends to demonstrate variations; and a well-done gallery for inspiration. I have found that this book has been able to answer all my brick stitch questions so far, and I have found it one of the best books in the beadworks "Beading with" series.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good for those with all thumbs, September 6, 2001
This review is from: Beading with Brick Stitch (Beadwork How-To) (Paperback)
The diagrams were so clear and inviting that I was forced to sit down and start a bracelet pattern. I love to bead and am all thumbs. This makes some projects difficult, but this book seems to have been designed with me in mind. I turned out a lovely bracelet the first time with surprisingly little effort. The beautiful ginko leaves shown in the book are still a bit aways off for me, but with practice I think I can make those too. The photos are terrific. I highly recommend this book for beginners and advanced beaders alike.
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