29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Creative, fun, fast, easy., November 30, 1999
This review is from: Make Wire Beads (Spiral-bound)
Lisa Van Herik's enthusiasm for her art is evident in every page of her book. She really loves the beads she's created and is very eager to share her techniques. The book is well written, nicely organized, and accompanied by helpful photographs. Lisa takes the reader by the hand, explaining in detail the tools you will need, the different types of wire you can work with, and defines the terms she will be using in the bead making instructions. Before you get to these instructions, called "recipes", she explains basic techniques. I found myself rummaging through my junk drawer, digging out scraps of wire and a pair of pliers, and grabbing a wooden spoon so I can use its handle in place of a dowel, just so I could try my hand at coiling wire, the first step in making wire beads. I had fun making a few coils, then I couldn't resist flipping through the recipes and trying my hand at a bead or two. This was so rewarding, I can only say that I have added a stop at the local hardware store to my list of things to do, so I can purchase some of the types of wires Lisa mentions in her recipes. I'm looking forward to making some really beautiful beads.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Put your hands to work!, March 14, 2001
This review is from: Make Wire Beads (Spiral-bound)
Lisa Van Herik overcomes many of the problems common in instructional books, and she does it in such a way that you want to make beads right away. And with this book, you can.
This book is clear and follows a logical step-by-step method. It starts out with necessary tools and techniques and doesn't demand a lot of equipment or years of metalsmithing to make that first bead. Chapters 4 through 7 are organized so that the beads become increasingly challenging. At any point, you can combine techniques to create your own beads.
Van Herik obviously has tried out these instructions on beginners, because she alerts the reader to common mistakes and tells you how and why to avoid them. It's rare to find instructions that tell you why to avoid certain moves--by the time the reason becomes obvious, it's too late.
All the beads are pictured in the front of the book, laid out in a pleasing pattern. The numbers are not in order in the photograph. I've had to hunt for a few beads, but it's not a big problem. In the text,the beads are listed in numerical order, with instructions. A few pages show finished jewelry, and not all the beads shown in the jewelry are covered in the book. This is not uncommon in instructional books, but giving the page numbers for the instructions that ARE in the book would have made the problem go away.
Beginners might have problems winding wire on dowels. It's easy to wind it too tightly, and once the wire bites into the wood,it is difficult to remove. The problem is never mentioned, but I've encountered it often, particularly with square silver wire. The problem is easily solved by using various diameter knitting needles or welding rods.
This is a handy and well-thought out instructional book that the beginner will come to depend on and the experienced bead-maker will return to often for more ideas.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More beads!, August 16, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Make Wire Beads (Spiral-bound)
I have been a bead and jewelry-making enthusiast for years, starting with bead stringing, moving on to seed bead techniques, and most recently expanding my skills to include wire wrapping and other metal manipulations. I found this book very helpful. The instructions are easy to follow, there are dozens of bead ideas, and with only minor modifications (such as a change in wire gauge or shape (try working with square instead of round!)) the creative possibilities are almost endless. The only shortcoming I would mention is that the quality of the pictures could be better, but this has not interfered with my ability to use the text.
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