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Cynthia Newcomer Daniel
Interweave (distributed
in the UK by Search Press)
16 January 2017/ ISBN 9781632502940
How-To Books/Jewelry Making
Reviewed
by Rachel A Hyde
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If you love the look
of delicate lace and fancy creating some beautiful jewelry,
here is a book filled with lovely off-loom projects. It has
the added appeal of looking contemporary and vintage at the
same time, and of appearing as though some advanced skills might
be essential. This is an illusion, as all the stitches used
only take up a few pages and are simple to learn.
You don’t have to be able to already do stitches like
right angle weave, ladder stitch, peyote stitch and netting,
as they are all explained with the aid of some clear diagrams.
In fact, this is one of the best books I have come across to
learn them from as the instructions are so concise. Too many
books make a meal of some of these stitches, which look daunting,
but here the emphasis is on how quickly you can learn to do
off-loom beadwork. The basics are soon dispensed with and the
rest of the book contains only projects, all of which are designed
to teach you something new about this type of beadwork so you
learn as you go along. Choose from a wide variety of necklaces,
bracelets, earrings, a pendant and a ring inspired by different
type of lace, as well as historical styles and the natural world.
Each project has a large photo of the finished piece plus several
details, as well as full written instructions and clear diagrams.
This is quite a large format book so the information is well-spaced
and the print of a decent size, although the lists of what you
need are rather small and fine on a gray background. One plus
for anybody not in the US is you don’t have to gaze wistfully
at beads and findings unavailable in other countries, as all
the components here are easily sourced. Seed beads, pearls,
fire-polished facets, rivolis and crystals are all widely available,
and some of the smaller finer pieces are ideal for using up
leftovers from other projects. You don’t need many tools
either, just pliers, needles and scissors and some basic findings.
This is one of the most inexpensive jewelry books I have seen
as it really does show how to make a little look like a lot.
Highly recommended for all the right reasons.
If you cannot find a good range of jewelry making materials
locally, try www.searchpress.com
for a list of suppliers.
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| UK Reviewer: Rachel
Hyde's work can be found in Sewing World, Sew Hip, Popular
Crafts and other magazines. |
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