Creative Bead Weaving: A Contemporary Guide To Classic Off-Loom Stitches (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Go beyond simply stringing beads together--learn to weave them into beautiful textural patterns to create jewelry, bowls, baskets, purses, and even sculpture. With the step-by-step instructions and detailed diagrams in this guide, the seven stitches (peyote, brick, square, right angle, African helix, netting, and chevron chain) and their variations aren't terribly difficult to learn. Although they may take patience and some time to master, even the beginner can produce simple, attractive pieces. Beaders with more experience will be inspired to new heights of invention upon viewing the full-color gallery of spectacular bead weaving creations contributed by various artists to this attractive book. --Amy Handy

Product Description

You can weave beads without a loom. Learn a variety of stitches, then apply them in 25+ irresistible projects including earrings, beaded sculptures, necklaces, and baskets. “A bold and innovative book. The variety and quality of work are inspiring in their own right—the diagrams and study of the various techniques are an added bonus.”—Lapidary Journal.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Lark Books (December 31, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579900801
• ISBN-13: 978-1579900809
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #188,895 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First on Your List, October 4, 2000

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

If you buy just one book on beading, buy this one. If you are a serious beader, buy this one first. It's practical, clear, well-written, well-designed, has precise directions to many stitches and their flat, round, and tubular versions, and is the first book to reach for when you don't understand, want to understand, or want comfort in seeing the lovingly photographed, equisite work of beadmasters.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME book! Every beader must have it!, August 4, 2000

By	PixelHawk (Concord, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This book has some of the clearest directions for various techniques of beadweaving that I have ever seen. The charts and diagrams are marvelous, and the projects that are included with each stitch technique range from easy for a beginner to challenging for more seasoned beaders. This is one book I would not want to do without. When somebody asks me which beading book they should buy to learn how to bead, I always recommend this one.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great addition to your crafting or beading library, January 20, 2003

By	Lisa Busch (Columbus, Oh United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm a beginning beader, and was looking for a book full of exciting projects and easy to understand instructions. This book was exactly what I needed. Ms. Wells gives instructions for everything from basic peyote and brick stitch, to much more advanced stitches and how to combine them, which makes this book valuable for any level beader. She also included a much needed simple list of the basic tools and supplies needed to start - something that a lot of books have done more to confuse me than to help me.

The illustrations are stunning. There are examples of everything from original antique pieces, to functional purses, necklaces and baskets, to the strange and bizarre (see the naked angel for a good laugh!). The only disappointing thing that I didn't latch onto at first (granted I was a little slow on the uptake) was that there were not instructions to all these illustrations. They were just examples of the way expert bead weavers had plied their craft. Oh well, they are inspirational and give me something to aspire to someday.

There are, however, several (7, I believe) projects w/ detailed instructions - some of them are quite beautiful also.

Overall, I am very pleased to own this book, and find it enjoyable to look through periodically just for the pleasure of admiring beautiful things.