5 comments about Beading With Peyote Stitch: A Beadwork How-To Book (Beadwork How-to Book).

1. One of the few instructional beading books that also makes good reading. Sure, it's a must-have for the beading table, but it's a great take along for commuting, waiting at the dentist, or on the bedside table for inspiration before sleep. The good news: if you are a fan of the original Beady-Eyed Women (the authors have other books), this one has lots of color pictures, and not just in the (40-page!) Gallery section. More good news: Lots of diagrams, and most of them are right next to the text, so people who need both words and pictures can understand the steps. The text-links to the diagrams are easily numbered, and that's a big help. Even more good news: there are some great ideas in this book that I haven't seen in others. The section on making geometric shapes and links is worth the price of the book. The surprise: the picture amazon.com shows as the book cover is not the one on the cover of the book I got. The instructions for the Vicki Star's "Stellar Star" is not included in the book, but the picture is, on p.75. The bad news: The diagrams showing bead placement use blue ink to show existing beads and the same tone of purple ink to show added beads. If you are a diagram user, read under a bright light, or you won't understand what's going on. It would have been a better idea to use contrasting colors for existing and newly added beads in the diagrams. More bad news: In the section on making bead triangles, there is an assumption that if you've done one side, you can figure out the other. Some of us can't, and one more diagram would have been helpful. Instead, after a step-by-step description of the first half of the triangle, we are told, "you don't have to make two steps down or two steps up, but you still have to take the ten-cent tour." As the two-step process was crucial, that final diagram would be a big help. More bad news for beginners: This is the only book I've read (and I own more than 30 books on beading)in which odd-count peyote stitch starts with an even number of beads, and even-count peyote starts with an odd number of beads. In the odd-count, you add another bead in row three, which, as the authors say, "turns the first three rows upside down." In the even-count, there is a diagram (with asterisk footnotes explained on the flip side of the page) that left me confused. I finally got it, but I'm a slow learner, so this may not be a problem for people who are fast learners. The conclusion: Buy the book. The well-explained tips, scattered throughout the book are worth the price of the book. You'll learn something no matter what level you are on, and the color pictures are enough to inspire any level beader.



2. I am an experienced beader and liked this book because it expands on peyote's capabilities.Some examples are: making different shapes in peyote, curling, tubular, free-form,and beading in the round. There is a great project section followed by an excellent gallery section.



3. A comprehensive review of the various types of peyote stitch. Clear instructions and diagrams. Great for a beginner and a good reference for the advanced beader. Has a number of pages of finished products without instructions which may or may not be useful.



4. I bought this book and was very disappointed. There are relatively few projects and the instructions are not that well illustrated and it is very costly for the number of pages. I took a course in Peyote Stitch and the instructor used the Well's book. I would therefore instead recommend the Carol Wilcox Books (both of them). The first (Creative Bead Weaving) has fantastic instructions for all types of peyote and the 2nd (The Art and Elegance of Beadweaving), has the most beautiful projects imaginable. In addition both books cover many other forms of beadweaving. They are about twice as big and cost less and are truly inspiring.



5. If you want to learn how to do peyote you have here a great book with very explained schemes and very easy to follow.it is almost like step by step.

No comments about Native American Leather & Bead Crafting.

3 comments about Beautiful Beaded Rings: Over 30 Unique & Stylish Designs.

1. Easy to follow instruction and great photos and illustrations save this book's sometimes poor designs, but there are enough great and awesome ring designs that you don't mind the poorly designed others.



2. Over 30 ring designs pack a guide that provides a range of ring options and different, eye-catching styles. Close-up photos provide the detail to match easy step-by-step instructions and diagrams perfect for newcomers to jewelry-making. With its focus on bright, contemporary colors and different choices, any jewelry maker will find it a wonderful guide, and libraries with strong crafts sections will find the eye-catching cover lends to repeat patron interest.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



3. Nice designs but 30 desings includes variatons, so is not realy 30.

4 comments about Chic & Easy Beading, Volume 2: 100 Fast and Fun Fashion Jewelry Projects.

1. Samples of jewselry are easy to make and pictures are beautifully photographed. Lots of ideas for people who aren't sure of where to go next.



2. This is a wonderful book to have. It has all the steps to completing a project and so many inspirational ideas. I would highly recommend this as one of the books to own.



3. This is a fairly new book but it feels outdated and old, the colors are muted and the jewelry is not inspiring. I didn't find any projects in this book I would like to make and this book is not even pretty to look at. Buy the Easy Beading books instead, they're full of great ideas.



4. I personally liked nearly ALL the projects in this book! I never ran across a bead book that I liked nearly everything before!

5 comments about Chic & Easy Beading: 100 Fast and Fun Fashion Jewelry Projects.

1. Not only are the pictures and drections clear but this book is great for those looking for a bump in skill level from your basic beading techniques. Basics in the back are helpful if one forgets how to stitch or bend something.
   
   lots of inspiration.



2. I've had this book a few years and I've never got any inspiration from this one. It feels outdated, colorless and the projects are boring. There are better books to buy out there.



3. I didn't find anything in this book that I could imagine either myself or any of my family or friends actually wearing. Maybe some this jewelry was stylish when the book was published, but I didn't see anything here that I thought I would make even with substituting beads. Some of the jewelry was huge! I ended up selling it in a yard sale. One book I got around the time I bought this one is Making Beaded Jewellery: Over 80 Beautiful Designs to Make and Wear. It uses similar techniques but the designs are more subtle.



4. I am absolutely delighted with this book! It's full of beautiful designs with clear instruction! This book skips right to the good stuff and doesn't waste the first 20 pages telling you about basics like every single other beading book out there. I'd say it's more of intermidiate level, although I am a beginner and am easily able to apply these techniques.
   
   The style of the jewelry projects in here is more bold, some are ethnic, and a lot of multi strands(which I love!) but very pretty like the piece on the cover. If you like little simple dainty designs, this isn't for you. But if you like your jewelry to make a statement and are able to look at pictures and adapt these projects into your own style, then you will probably really enjoy this book! I sure do!!!



5. Chic & Easy Beading: 100 Fast and Fun Fashion Jewelry Projects
   
   Make something beautiful that you'll love to wear is what the editors say about this book. And they're right. In Chic and Easy Beading, Alice Korach runs the gamut of designs utilizing seed, lampwork and caged beads, pearls and many other bead types to create matinee strands, multi-strand necklaces, lariets, asymmetrical beauties, beaded links and more. And that's just the necklaces! There are designs for spectacular earrings, bracelets and accessories, too.
   
   Key tools are covered in a two-page layout - Basics of bead stringing. While this is a good reference for the experiencxed beader, the information given here might be too brief for a novice. (In my opinion, the book's only weakness.) However, each project more than makes up for this lack with the accompanying color photos, step-by-step instructions and materials lists that include bead amounts as well as sizes.
   
   This is a fine book to have in your beading library, one you'll turn to again and again.

5 comments about Beaded Bobby Pins (Klutz).

1. I bought this book hoping to learn a new skill--and I did. The instructions are simple to follow, and quite varied, enabling the reader to make a wide assorment of designs. Most importantly, all materials needed come with the book. Although I purchased additional beads, wire, and pins so as to not yet take the supplementary package apart, I was still able to make some beautiful hair assortments. What's great is that these bobby pins take so little time to make, and they can be customized to an infinate extent.



2. I bought this book shortly after receiving a ton of beads for Christmas and I had a great time making these! They are easy to make and the instructions are simple and clear. The best part is that it comes with all that you make them. The bobby pins turn out beautiful and I love wearing them in my hair!



3. This book is not only easy to use, providing all supplies along with crystal-clear insructions, but the results are also spectacular. Whenever I wear a pin in my hair, people ask about it, and always respond, "You MADE that?" The only complaint I have is with the dragonfly instructions. It looks much better to use two E beads with a faceted bead in the middle for the body and tiny seed beads for the eyes. Look at the pictures to get ideas for your favorite construction. The pictures in this book are a true inspiration. I love making these pins and have become an addict.



4. I love this book. It is easy to use and turns out beautiful beads. The one thing it lacks is a ruler. I used a permanent marker to make a ruler on the inside back cover. Then all you need is wire cutters and you're ready to start crafting!



5. I've gotten a lot of use out of this book. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. Would make a great gift for a teen or pre-teen.

4 comments about Beadalicious: 25 Fresh, Unforgettable Jewelry Projects for Beads Old and New.

1. Too much fun, great book for putting together you own pieces. After this book, its encouraging to know that instead of buying a necklace that someone else has put together with a gold chain and a few vintage pieces that sells for $$$, you can make your own, in your style.. Its so easy, she shows you how to put the pieces together, w. diagrams etc, and how to turn an item into an incredible piece of jewelry. I got a group together with all of the pieces, buttons, pins, spare earrings etc, and we used the book as a guide. Amazing what you can come up with and it changes how you look at some of the new jewelry designs, esp. when you can do it yourself. I found that one of the books biggest fans was a friend w.out pierced ears. They don't exactly sell many clips these days... so now she knows how to put together her own for big nights out!! Enjoy. Its a book for all ages, styles and expertise. I am buying in bulk for birthday gifts...
   > Plus! I am totally pulling this out with my god daughter, its right up her alley.



2. I loved every page of this fun, hip design book! Not only is it a jewelry project book, it is a "how to" book...in this case, how to live your lifestyle with great enjoyment, written by the author in a fresh and engaging way. For example, Beadalicious includes recipes which have to do with the projects (Sonya's "Rich Amber Caramel Popcorn"---mmmm! for when you are makng some glorious amber earrings!) and ways to pamper yourself ("Sweet Dreams Eye pillow", set next to a pretty necklace of star and moon felt charms -- so enchanting!). This collection of lifestyle projects is a great addition to the jewelry projects and really helps you get to know the author, Sonya, who is full of energetic and imaginative ideas for creating fabulous fun new jewelry from old sixties or seventies pieces, for example. She really knows how to take apart and redesign a piece, so that you have learned an excellent lesson on jewelry RE-creating.
   
   I could study this book for hours. One project I was particuary taken with was the Long John Silver necklace, which has so many gorgeous charms on it of all sorts. That has my m.o. all over it! She has some great wire wrapped rings as well, something I love, and she comments next to the red Phantom quartz stone which she has wrapped that it is red, for the "heart" chakra, and explains a bit about what that means. I love commentary like that, and I also like the way she wraps. By the way, next to that was a recipe for pink lemonade! Everything is joyous and fun and goes together!
   You can buy this book as a starter book for a younger beader (who would love it and eagerly grow into it), or you can enjoy this book yourself, no matter what your age.
   
   Sonya lives in Venice Beach, California. She is just a totally fun, knowedgable jewelry designer, and her terrically photographed book is a complete hit, as far as I am concerned! Five stars PLUS!



3. I met the author at an event and she is as charming as her writing. I have already been inpired to make a charm bracelet similar to the Lantern bracelet featured on the cover. I enjoy the format of including a recipe of some kind with each project. However the most valuable part for me has been the very clearly explained and ink illustrated wire techniques and tool/bead round up at the start of the book. The legacy of reading this book is that I look at all of the old costumey stuff that I have inherited from relatives with new eyes, especially the chunky faux gold chains that I hitherto considered useless.



4. This book has some great step-by-step instructions, with illustrations - great for a beginning beader. The projects are all pretty easy to do, simple yet fashionable. As an advanced beader, this book comes mostly as inspiration, but inspirational it is! My favorite projects are the Lucky Charms necklace, the Blossoming Branch, and the Long John Silver necklace. I also love the Festival of Lanterns bracelet and the Cozy Nest Ring. Oh, and the Daisy gardening Boots are too cute! Okay, so I love it all. Sonya Nimri gets a big thumbs up, I love her color choices and bead combinations.

4 comments about Bead Crochet (Easy-Does-It).

1. I am a longtime crocheter, but new to wire and bead crochet. I got many bead crochet books and sat down to figure out where I was going to start and when I got to the filigree bracelets in this book, which were so eyecatching and the book said "make one in a night" and I read the directions and realized I really could easily understand and produce the bracelet in a night, this book became #1.



2. Cannot review as I just glanced at it and left for the west coast due to the hurricane... I was in New Orleans...
   However, I am sure it was fine



3. Although this leaflet (it can hardly be classified as a book) has some basic information in it, it's pretty lightweight in terms of instruction and projects. There are much more comprehensive books on the market.
   
   I should have paid attention to the number of pages in the book -- that might have been a hint as to just how helpful it would be on the subject.



4. While this book may be good for learning the basics if you have never done anything with crochet or beads. If you are experienced with crochet, you might be disappointed in this booklet as I was. A lot of the technique was common sense and the rest of it is available easily on the internet. I returned my copy.

5 comments about Bead Rings (Klutz).

1. I must say, this is another awesome klutz book. The instructions are clear and well illustrated and easy to follow. The rings are nice, and range from very simple to quite complex. And of course, you can always make bracelets and neclaces as well, just use more wire.

   The whole idea behind these books is just so well executed. The seem a little expensive, but they come with everything you need to get started, so really, they aren't. And it saves you that part where you buy the book and then run around spending all sorts of money to make sure that you have everything you need. Or worse, never making anything from the book because you can't be bothered to go out and get what you need. This book, or any of the other klutz books, make excellent gifts for the young or young-at-heart, just for this reason.

   One word of warning with this one. I dropped it, and the bead container top popped off. It could have been nasty, this book comes with a lot of beads, and they're tiny! Luckily, only a few were spilled, and I transferred the beads to something a little more secure.

   Buy this one and enjoy it. I also recommend hair wraps and hemp bracelets from the same series.




2. this great book provides materials for doing all the rings.the instructions are clear and easy to follow and there are great designs of rings too , like a beautiful butterfly on the ring , a vine... this book is affordable and those who are interested in this, you can start on this book! It's gonna be fun!



3. I tried not to buy this book for a long time. It seemed like I could figure it out myself, and I have a lot of craft books already. There is something so wonderful, however, about having crystal clear instructions and all the right supplies right in front of you. With this book, there's nothing to "figure out" (unless you want to vary the patterns). You can just relax and make some adorable jewelry. These are quick to make and look quite nice. This is another Klutz book that I'll take to the craft class I run with teens. My complaints about the book: the bead wheel doesn't work well--beads get stuck and shoved into other compartments or fall out the sides. The bead colors are mixed together in color families, which is a real pain when you're trying to get all one color. There is variety in colors, but not in beads. A flower bead or two (like the one in one of the book's pictures) would have been nice. Still, the patterns are pretty, quick, and do-able. The variety of representative designs (butterfly, flower) and pretty patterns (chain)is good. It's a fine little book.



4. ...BR>This is an awesome book made by real people ... and by an awesome company! My cousin has this book and I have done three of the rings already. They are easy to do and the directions are well explained and not too complex.
   The rings include: simple ring (you should learn to do this first), twisted ring, chain, vine, butterfly, starburst, and daisy chain. This book has plenty of beads so you can do your favorite rings over and over!
   The only complaint I have is there's this stupid bead wheel (you've seen it on the front picture) and the colors get mixed up if you take it on a car trip, or when you're flipping through different colors.
   Otherwise, this is a great book and I highly reccomend it for someone who is interested in making bead rings!



5. My dds gave these as gifts to their friends recently, and EVERYONE loved them! They have all spent hours making rings, and I must admit, they were really cute! The directions were easy to follow, and my 10 yr old had no problem making them on her own.

5 comments about The Complete Guide to Beading Techniques: 30 Decorative Projects (Beadwork Books).

1. The book is wonderful. The illustrations on how to do the various stitches are enlarged enough to easily see what's going on. You don't need to puzzle out stuff. Besides the size of the illustrations, they are clear cut with each step having its own picture along with clear written out instructions.
   
   As the title said, its complete. All of the techniques I could think of are in there, plus some I never heard about.
   
   With all of the techniques shown, there are very well written and diagramed instructions, a sample to do to try the technique, and a project that uses that techniqe. There is even a sampler project using all of the samples of each technique at the end.
   
   The photographs are beautiful. The projects they depict are bold, vibrant, and useful at the same time. The pictures of bead crafts that are show as examples of what can be done with beads are stunning.
   
   Besides all this, the section where the tools and wares of beading are mentioned is good. This section also has a how to do basic beading stitches section as well - including the looom.



2. This is the most complete guide to beading techniques I've ever seen. It covers everything you could possibly want to do with beads, especially seed beads. It covers everything from beadweaving (peyote, brick, herringbone, netting, etc. stitches) to knitting, crocheting, and tatting with beads, to wire work, to bead embroidery. The instructions are wonderfully clear and well-illustrated. There are 2-3 projects to make with each technique, including a small sampler project to get your feet wet. The book is also an invaluable resource for tips and tricks and information on beads and beading.
   
   This is not a very good book for the rawest beginner, nor does it cover the basics of actual knitting or crocheting (but you can easily find basic knitting and crochet stitch directions online or in other books). But if you've had some experience with beading, this book is great, and it will take you to the most advanced beading stages. I'm an intermediate/advanced beader, and am constantly finding new information in this book.



3. Personally I found this book rather dissapointing. The instructions are very perfunctory and often incomplete. Better instructions on most of the included tecjniques are available free on the web with a bit of searching. It is an interesting book to read but don't expect too much practical help.



4. After reading other reviews I couldn't wait to receive this book and try some new techniques. I was VERY disappointed with the instructions -- there is no way I could complete even an "easy" sample project. The instructions were sooooo basic that they were incomplete. This is definitely NOT a book for beginners.



5. I found this book to be very helpfull. I am a beader and it was helpfull to go back and review techniques and ro learn some new ones. I think this book will be very helpfull to new beaders and other beaders.