Complete Beading for Beginners [Paperback]

Karen Rempel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1996

Everybody's beading! It's easy, it's fun, it doesn't cost much, and in one evening you can make something gorgeous to wear or give, just by learning a few simple techniques. Complete Beading for Beginners shows you how to make your own pins, rings, necklaces, dream catchers, embroidered clothes - even your own beads. Just choose a project, check out the basic directions, and you're on your way. There are lots of diagrams to make it even easier, also trouble shooting guides, information on basic tools and materials, and inspirational tips to get you going on your own designs. There are chapters on Stringing, Earrings, Off-Loom Weaving, Loom Weaving, Beaded Rings, Barrettes, Brooches and Wall Hangings, Bead Embroidery, Making Your Own Beads, Planning and Design, Solutions to Common Beading Problems, Basic Knots, Tools & Materials. Beading is one of the world's oldest arts, and it's one of the newest. So go for it! All you need is this book, your imagination and a handful of beads.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Author Karen Rempel is taking a bead on the crafters market with her new book, Complete Beading for Beginners. The New Westminster writer switched directions after getting a degree in business from SFU when she went on to the Professional Writing Program at Douglas College. Rempel produced a full-colour prototype of the book before she approached any publishers and was accepted by the first one she took it to. "I wanted it to be clear enough for a 12-year-old to understand... The prime attraction in beading for me is to translate a creative vision into physical reality," she says of her many pieces of jewellery. The book is lavishly illustrated in black and white and colour, covering every aspect of the art from jewellery to beaded clothing and decorative items, findings and tools, to making your own beads from a variety of materials. -- Royal City Record/Now 17 Jul 96

Complete Beading for Beginners, by Karen Rempel, 160 pages, 40 color photographs. The author, a Vancouver resident, began beading at the age of 10. In addition to tools and materials, Rempel covers how to string your beads, illustrates projects to make such items as earrings, necklaces, rings and brooches, how to bead clothing and how to make a dream catcher. She discusses off-loom weaving and loom weaving and how to make your own beads. If you are planning to give this book as a present, why not visit a local bead shop and buy the materials for a simple beginner's project to get your special person started? It could become a lifetime passion, as it is for Rempel. -- Vancouver Sun, 17 Dec 96

If you're bead crazy, there's a new book available to help you design and make necklaces, earrings, bracelets, barrettes and even beaded clothes. Complete Beading for Beginners, by Karen Rempel, is full of pictures and diagrams and covers a variety of beading techniques. There are simple gift ideas as well as directions for making your own beads. The book also includes a complete listing of the tools and materials needed for beading projects. --Ottawa Citizen 18 Jul 96

About the Author

Karen Rempel was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and has lived in the Vancouver area her entire life. She graduated from Simon Fraser University and currently works as a self-employed technical writer.

She has published fiction, poetry, feature articles and reviews in publications including The Vancouver Sun, Herspectives, Discorder, and BC Woman Magazine. Complete Beading for Beginners is her first book. The book won the Society for Technical Communication's International Merit Award for training materials.

Karen Rempel discovered beading when she was ten years old. She began borrowing beading books from the library, and soon was spending her entire allowance on beads. Although she has experimented with many different types of beads, she prefers to work with seed beads, and has collected over a hundred different colours. She explains, "I like seed beads because I don't have the talent to express colour by painting, but somehow with beads I can capture the pictures I see in my mind." She says that while she may forget about beadwork when her life gets too busy, she is always drawn back to it: "For me, beading is a spiritual activity that allows me to express my creativity, work through issues in my life, and perhaps even tap into the collective unconscious--that great store of human memories and knowledge that is even older than beads."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Harbour; 1 edition (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155017102X
• ISBN-13: 978-1550171020
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #520,458 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Basic Guide for the Beginner, January 3, 2000

By 

dvons "Cookbook Junkie" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Beading for Beginners (Paperback)

I bought this book because I was interested in learning more about beading. For this purpose it was great. The description above says that there are 40 color images; be aware that all fourty of these images are on the first 6 or so pages and the rest of the book contains line drawings in black and white.

Each technique is introduced with a new project and the projects were very simple. They were just the type to start a beginner out. I was very glad to see an introduction to off-loom netting, because I wanted to make some of those collars of beads that sometimes are seen.

Each chapter is short and concise with one or two projects included. I especially liked the glossory of terms, the photocopiable project designer's sheet and the check list for a beginning beader's tool box.

Happy Beading!

51 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Wasn't alllll that pleased with this one..., October 17, 2002

By 

"enjers" (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Beading for Beginners (Paperback)

This is just about the hardest-to-use 'beginner' book I've ever bought. ...:::

First, the organization of info about materials & tools is primarily keyed to & part of each project. So if one *doesn't want* to do those exact projects, one must flip around through the book for much of the necessary basic info. ... ...

Second, some info appears to be either lacking or misplaced (I couldn't find it, anyway). Some of the lacks are merely curious but some are downright irritating.

Just 2 off the top of my head ...
In the fasteners section, there's no mention -- let alone picture -- of toggle clasps, hmmm only the most popular, easy-to-use, most-varied-design fasteners around at the moment ...
and in the bead embroidery section, for a couple of stitches, until the *actual instructions* there's no mention of the *second threaded needle* which one was SPOZED to have at hand. ... ...

...If you've already mastered several basic embroidery stitches, this book probably won't offer you any bead embroidery techniques you haven't already figured out on your own.

For more helpful instructions & drawings, at least in the area of beginning bead embroidery, I'd recommend instead The Beader's Companion by Judith Durant & Jean Campbell -- also available here at Amazon.

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A one-stop beading extravaganza., December 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Complete Beading for Beginners (Paperback)

Complete Beading for Beginners is, first and foremost, a well-written text for the novice beader. It is a well thought-out manual that provides clear instructions on the basics and the technically complicated. You can begin immediately on a simple project, such as the Lace and Bead Choker, or you can go directly to a more technically advanced project, like the Bead Embroidery Sampler. Every beader can be assured of a beautiful looking piece of beading jewellery.

Instructions are clear and concise. As well, diagrams and callouts are scattered throughout the manual, giving the reader a sense of confidence that beading can be so easy. If you do encounter a problem, there's a trouble-shooting section to help you out (something many instructional manuals do not provide). I find this section more helpful in that I can learn and prepare for the potential pitfalls.

As well, the text is a fairly comprehensive authority on the art of beading. While other texts may elaborate more fully on specific aspects of beading, the Complete Beading for Beginners brings it all together. You don't need to go to a library to research beading; it's all at your fingertips. Also, the author has finally provided written instructions on beading techniques that had previously existed only by word of mouth.

I've got a copy for my family and I've just purchased another copy for my niece. Should any other family members show an interest in beading, they will receive a copy of Complete Beading for Beginners. Without a doubt, I bead you not.