Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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65 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is One Great Book!, May 28, 2000
Overall, I really liked this book. The photography is great, with many pictures taking up entire pages (great if you're interested in detail).There is a lot of variety in terms of projects; all the standard jewelry items (necklaces, bracelets, pins, barettes, and earrings) are included, and though the book is not written specifically for any one technique, it does a great job of explaining many different styles of beadwork (especially if you're a visual learner). The diagrams of peyote stitch and loom weaving are large and simple. The section on wirework is more detailed than in most beading books (it includes working with chain, headpins, hammers/anvils, and memory wire). The section on working with polymer clay is rather basic (i.e. not anything you couldn't find elsewhere) but the projects made with clay are unique (check out the Faux Jade Necklace), plus, there are other bead-making techniques covered (mostly with paper and cloth). There are several amulet bag patterns and some remarkable split-loom necklace patterns, for the seed bead people out there. And there are stringing projects for the "big bead" people. Colors can be substituted in the seed bead projects (so you can work from things already in your bead stash) but some of the stringing projects need specific types of beads which may be hard to find (particularly some of the ethnic beads that show up early in the book), so you may need to go shopping. I would recommend this book to just about any beader out there. If you are a new beader, the instructions are very clear. If you are an experienced beader looking to branch out and try new techniques, there are several to try (and even if the experiment with a new technique doesn't work out, the rest of the book is still valuable in its own right).
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38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
great photos, semi-beginner to advanced, December 30, 1999
This book came out before the huge glut, and I still like thumbing through it. The examples are marvelous. While it walks you very well through some projects, others are sort of "on your own." Good for an intermediate or advanced beader who wants to do more improvising, but might be frustrating for a new beader. I recommend learning the basic stitches elsewhere, but get this book, if only for the wonderful photos of work by very talented bead artists. It also has a useful section on balancing color and bead size, more useful information if you're ready to start personalizing your projects. It covers different stringing options well, and provides a good start for wire working. They could have left out the section on polymer clay, though.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Have fun with this beading book!, September 12, 2002
I have quite a few beading books and this one is a welcome addition to my collection. Even though it was published in 1995, most of the jewelry pieces still look stylish. This author wastes no time talking about bead types and their histories. A short introduction lets us know that she is a bead addict like many of us, and then she jumps into a few pages of the basics about materials and techniques. They are not extensive, so a beginner may have trouble using the skimpy instructions to get started in jewelry making, and may want to get help from an experienced beader. But these pretty pieces are enough to inspire. There's a nice variety of strung-bead necklaces and earrings, some with wirework connecting the beads. The colors and the mixtures of beads are what really stand out in this artistic collection. Styles range from simple to elegant, light and fun to heavy and with ethnic charm. A couple of projects use coiled wire in interesting ways, and though I myself don't use them, there are a few attractive pins for hair and clothing. Half of the book is taken up with projects made by weaving beads with needle and thread. I have not tried them yet, but the instructions look clear and easy enough to follow. There are many beautiful and artistic pieces here, too. Some examples include a luscious lavendar and yellow jasper stone encased in a weaving of similarly colored seed beads, a pair of quartz crystal earrings, held in place at the top in a sheathing of seed beads, and quite a few bracelets and purse-shaped pendants made with woven seed beads, some done on a bead loom. They are all beautiful, in my opinion. The last few pages show how to make your own beads of paper, fabric, and polymer clay, and these clay beads are pretty and creative. There are a lot of ideas here, and beaders should find several that will make this book worth adding to their collection.
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