Beads
have been around for thousands of years and have always been
a popular way of making jewelry. Learn how to make your own
timeless and contemporary pieces with this beginner's primer.
This
is a well laid out book that will have total beginners beading
away in no time. From the page at the front showing you how
to use the book to the handy index it shows how enjoyable
and rewarding working with beads can be. The projects are
all showcased at the beginning to whet the appetite, organized
into unusual themes - ocean, beach, meadow, woodland, forest,
mountain and volcano. The first chapter explains very visually
all about the different types of beads and other materials
and has some excellent advice for beginners about buying.
This is also where you can find out how to do the basics such
as opening and closing jump rings, using pliers, knots and
more. Start with earrings - a glorious double spread of them
- and progress through the various themes. The pieces in here
are all of the eye-catching type that are deceptively simple
to make but pack a lot of punch without being too dressy or
showy. Instead of tidy staged boxes in the step-by-step instructions,
the layout is freer and more suited to the shapes of jewelry
with pieces in various stages of being made up spread across
the pages, but easy to understand. I found myself eager to
buy some of the beautiful beads and findings shown in the
book but despite this being a UK title everything has been
provided by a US website. Fortunately the majority of the
items used are pretty universal and this is a book focusing
on making statement pieces out of lots of fairly basic beads.
Even if you are not a beginner you will find much in here
you want to make, and if you are you won't be by the end of
the book. One of the best and most accessible beginner beading
books I have seen.
If
you cannot find a good range of beadwork materials locally
try http://www.searchpress.com
for a list of suppliers.
1st
review
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