Customer Reviews

French Beaded Flowers

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have many books on beaded flowers in many languages and have to say that one can follow patterns that are clear in diagram as well as those clear in verbiage. Dalene's book is unpretentious and accessible to any enthusiast or beginner. The method is clearly shown and applies to all flowers alike with some minor variations. Her photos are beautiful and one can clearly see what to aim for when making the flower. I don't expect to be shown or told how to display the flowers nor what beads to use, nor where to buy them as these issues are for the beader to experiment with. I have been beading for about a year and love it. I have used a Russian and a French book extensively and never had difficulty finding and trying various types of beads as well as sizes--thus that Dalene leaves this as a choice to the beader is to permit creative license and experiment by the beader. I personally prefer the Russian, or Danish method as many call it, but that doesn't mean that I never make use of the French method and Dalene's book certainly gives the beader many opportunities and flowers to try and to strive for in regards to her perfect bending and tight wiring method. I am delighted that one more source of beaded flowers has been made available to us, especially as many of the "Bibles" of the likes of Nathanson and others of 30 years ago, are now out of print. I would recommend this book for it's patterns, for it's photos of finished items, and also simply as a source of ideas for one's own work or patterns. I commend Dalene for commiting to publishing when she sells her patterns on line for a reasonable price and also her booklets of patterns and I feel sure that she made more money for herself that way than this--but we her audience of beaders will be forever grateful for her most generous act--that of sharing her own intellectual property and for under $20!! The book is also very pleasing to the eye and worth looking at to see how varied beaded flowers can be--look at the picture for e.g. of the bleeding heart flower.

Dalene Kelly has put together a beautiful, informative and helpful book. Upon deciding to take up the art of French Beaded Flowers, it was frustrating to not have current and resonably priced resources available to begin learning to make these beautiful creations. As my intent was to start with full-size flowers rather than miniatures, the publication of her book was greatly appreciated.

I have purchased and read Dalene's French-Beaded Flower book and made flowers from three of the patterns. As one new to this craft, I was not sure if this was something that would be beyond my abilities. However, I was able to work through the patterns and come up with very pleasing results. I appreciated the way Dalene used color suggestions and left actual color choices up to the individual. This allows some creativity on the part of the user even though they are following the flower design of the writer.

The clear photographs are beautifully done with vivid colors. Dalene has included a good variety of flowers, some more challenging than others, which appears to be designed for a wide range of talents. Although experienced beaders can skip over the well written basic instructions and general information about bead sizes and wire guage, new beaders will find this section extremely helpful. I also appreciated the website references which were included at the end of the book, but will note that people without computer access will not be able to take advantage of this information and including addresses and phone numbers of these resources would have been helpful for them.

I consider this book the perfect beginning of my beaded flower resource library.

This book stinks! When I first saw it, I was impressed w/ all the diagrams - until I realized that the same diagram was repeated on each page to pad out the book. It omitted essential information (such as which size/cut beads are best for different areas of the flowers/leaves)and seems solely designed to make a buck. Don't waste your money; instead, buy Virginia Nathanson's recently reprinted masterpiece, Helen McCall's paperback, the forthcoming Beads in Bloom, the gorgeous Italian book translated into English, etc. They'll provide much better directions (to say the least), much more variety (and ways to display them), essential info Ms. Kelly omits, etc.

I was on Dalene Kelly's beaded flower mailing list when someone posted that there was a negative review here on Amazon, and said that, although she hadn't seen the book, Dalene was her friend, so she was going to post that that review wasn't helpful, and post her own glowing review of the book she'd never seen, and recommended that everyone else do the same. I see that they have. That sort of garbage taints Amazon's reviews; people should be able to post sincere reviews based on actually seeing the book, not post something glowing just because the author is a friend. I use Amazon reviews to decide whether or not I'd be interested in a book (which I may want even if the review is negative, if the complaint is clear, and doesn't involve something I care about), so making up things just to help the author hurts everyone, since people like me will stop buying books by unknown authors if we think the reviews are tainted by friends/family who haven't even seen the books they're raving about.

I honestly believe that this book stinks, and that you'd be much wiser to buy one of the growing number of outstanding books on this subject. This author seems to just want to make a buck, period, and is more interested in selling books and getting new students to join her classes than in teaching people to make beaded flowers. At best, this is the paint-by-number version of flower beading, leaving you dependent on the author for everything you do. The other authors provide tools with which to adapt or even create your own designs. Don't waste your money on this one!

This is a wonderful new book on the French technique of making bead flowers. It thoroughly discusses techniques, tools, materials and supplies, using clear graphics and complete explanations. The flowers Ms. Kelly demonstrates cover a wide range of difficulty. The beginners' projects like the delightful Trillium and the lovely Shamrock work up quickly, and lead the artist through the basic techniques used in the great majority of more advanced projects. More complicated projects like the Oriental Poppy, with its challenging spoked and layered center, satisfy the more advanced beader. Ms. Kelly also offers instructions in corsages and bridal veils! There is plenty of bright, close-up photography of finished bead flowers. All in all a very satisfying new book. Thank you Ms. Kelly! (This reader is a 30-year+ veteran of creating bead flowers, and has won many blue ribbons locally and several ribbons internationally for her bead-flower work.) Rosemary Topol

While these weren't the first beaded flower patterns in my collection, it was the first book...and I've never regretted my decision to purchase it! It is a wonderful resource, with clear patterns and assembly instructions. The fact that she gives general recommendations for colors then leaves the actual color selection up to the crafter/artist is commendable. (I very rarely use recommended colors in patterns, preferring to go my own way and trust my own color choices. I am most appreciative of the fact that Ms Kelly doesn't try to "hold my hand" when it comes to my creative choices.)

I am currently designing my wedding bouquet, the bouquets for my brides maids, as well as the corsages for the mothers/grandmothers in the wedding party...So far, with the exception of the beaded wheat I'm working on, everything I'm planning on using has come from this book! (As an aside, Ms Kelly does have a beaded wheat pattern available, just not in the book. However, I had already found another pattern to use before I discovered that...) The biggest problem I've had is trying to determine which of her patterns to use, if I don't limit myself, my bouquet is going to be to heavy to carry!

I have several other beaded flower books. While I wouldn't consider Kelly's to be the utmost book for the beginner (for that I'd recommend "French Beaded Flowers I: A Guide for Beginners" by Helen McCall), I've found it to be great as an intermediate-advanced flower beader.

The photographs of the flowers are very nice, and more importantly, they are large close-ups that help the reader figure out how to make the flower. There isn't much suggestion as to colours used, but I actually prefer the "suggestion" of the picture and then to make my own choice based on availability of beads, cost, etc. That's part of being a creative person; knowing how to tailor a pattern or design to your own whim. And I've done that with a few of Kelly's flowers; where I wanted it to look slightly differently, I simply altered the count. That's not something a beginner could do.

The best part about this book is it shows how to make some really neat flowers, many of which can be altered by the experienced flower beader to create "natural" bouquets. This really is more of a pattern book than a how-to book, and I quite like it for that purpose. I even took it on holiday with me to keep up with my flower beading addiction!

Comparing this to the old Nathanson et al books, I like this one better. I am visually oriented, and having a large, colour picture to work from is ten times more useful to me than overly verbose, confusing instructions. People who require lengthy word explanations may have some trouble with the patterns, although honestly, they don't seem difficult to me at all. Sometimes I don't even bother to read the assembly instructions because it's obvious from the picture.

As for words like "hemostat," sure, Kelly uses some technical words for technical objects. I didn't know what it was, so I looked it up and learned a new word and got a hint about something that might be of great help to me (haven't got one to try it yet). I don't see any problem with introducing new words to people in a book; authors shouldn't have to define every word they use, since that's what dictionaries are for. I appreciate that Kelly doesn't write down to me, but rather shares her tips for assembling the flowers.

Get this book if you want some cool new patterns to try. If you're a beginner, get it after you've made a few flowers to get the basics down. Either way, it's excellent for diversifying your bouquets.

This is a "must have" for the bead artist interested in expanding their beading talents to the art of flower making. I have several books now on this art - including many of the out of print older books. I always find myself going back to Dalene's. The instructions are quite clear, the pictures are all in color and are magnificent. While there are a few new books on the subject, Dalene's is by far the best I have seen. I hope she is working on a second one!! Debie Bechtold

This book is a must have for any French Beaded Flower enthusiast. Dalene's instructions are easy to read, complete, and are extremely lifelike. This book belongs with all the other books on this subject written years ago by the Masters. It is written by a very talented flower beader, for anyone interested in learning the craft, or for the experienced beader alike. I would recommend this book, right along with Nathanson and Osterland!

This book is beautifully illustrated and the instructions are
simple enough for even the beginner. I have already made a
keepsake for my home and would recommend this book to any
one interested in making beaded treasures.

Concise, easy to follow instructions coupled with beautiful illustrations, make this book a must have for beginners (like me)and the experienced beader as well. It's obvious the author loves her craft and is very generous in sharing her talent.
The book not only contains all of the instructions you need, but is also splashed with little quips to keep you smiling while you work. ~ recommended!