The Best Little Beading Book: Techniques and More: A Practical Guide for Beadlovers (Beadwork Books) [Paperback]

Wendy S. Conner (Author), Nancy Conner (Author)

Book Description

Series: Beadwork Books | Publication Date: November 1, 1995

When The Best Little Beading Book first appeared in 1995, it was an immediate hit! Never before had the mysteries of beading been so clearly defined, diagrammed, illustrated, and photographed. Considered the "Bible for Beaders", this is a must-have for both beginners and seasoned professionals. It contains hundreds of projects, useful information, a picture glossary of beads, findings, and everything else a beader might be interested in. Learn to pearl knot, wire bend, Chinese knotting, make earrings, and lots more. There's even a section devoted to healing with stones, chakras, esoteric values of color, shapes and other symbolism; how to start a small business, create a portfolio, start an at-home jewelry business, and much, much more. This book is considered the most complete beadbook of its kind in the market today! A definite necessity for the serious beader!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...An excellent gift for all beadlovers!" -- Book Forum of San Diego, September 1996

"...they sell the bible for beaders, The Best Little Beading Book, by Wendy Simpson Conner" -- The Ann Arbor Observer, December 1995

"Cast your beady little eyes on this large book and learn all there is to know..." -- The Book Reader, Summer 1996

About the Author

Wendy Simpson Conner is a third generation bead artist. Her grandmother designed beaded gowns and jewelry for Anna Held, wife of Flo Ziegfeld and the Ziegfeld Follies. Wendy is considered one of the foremost bead artists today, and as the author of many beadbooks, she has appeared on several television shows and is considered an expert in her field.

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Interstellar Publishing Company; Revised edition (November 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964595702
• ISBN-13: 978-0964595705
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #598,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reference, not textbook, January 24, 2001

By 

QuinnCreative "-Q" (Glendale, AZ, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Best Little Beading Book: Techniques and More: A Practical Guide for Beadlovers (Beadwork Books) (Paperback)

Come to this book the way you would a dictionary and you'll be pleased; expect a text on how to bead and you won't like it. This book is great for finding information, quick help, and looking up something you aren't sure about. Despite the color cover, the rest of the book is in black and white, and there is no stunning gallery to inspire you. In fact, there are no photographs (except for the cover).

The simple line drawings are meant to keep things clear and help the text, not be the only source of information. You'll find diagrams of how to knot, how to start a bend to make a wire loop, how to connect beading to earwires--all things that could never be done easily using only words.

The format is meant to cover as much beading ground as possible, with just enough help to get the reader started. It is not a step-by-step project book.

The beginning beader will reach for this book often; the intermediate beader will use the book for backup; and the advanced beader will be glad she bought it when she was a beginning beader.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable guide to beading techniques, September 1, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: The Best Little Beading Book: Techniques and More: A Practical Guide for Beadlovers (Beadwork Books) (Paperback)

The book contains projects with full instructions and illustrations, plentiful notes on basic and advanced techniques from simple head-pin earrings to strand-knotting to peyote stitch, and a generous selection of color photos. (Best of all, it's spiral-bound so it lies flat!) The author takes care to point out how basic techniques can be combined and varied once mastered; this book has something to teach both beginner and skilled craftsperson. Anyone who does beadwork, stringing, or beadweaving should have this book nearby. I pick it up more often than all my other beadwork books put together

58 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars great text lost in a poorly-designed book, October 8, 1999

By 

Patricia O'Tuama "rissa" (Illinois) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Best Little Beading Book: Techniques and More: A Practical Guide for Beadlovers (Beadwork Books) (Paperback)

I think the thing that amazes me the most about this book is how poorly designed and organized it is given the cost of the book. The illustrations look like they were scribbled on scraps of paper, the black and white photographs are dark and murky and the whole thing is laid out with only minimal organization which is really a shame because there is a great deal of very useful and comprehensive information here providing you can actually find what you are looking for -- the Table of Contents is at the ->back<- of the book under the heading "Index;" there is, needles to say, no index per se. Ms Conner should seriously consider either finding another publisher for her book or persuading her current publisher to hire both a graphic artist and an editor with experience in creating crafts books in the event that she writes a revised edition.