Art of Seed Beading
Beading books tend to concentrate on one technique and ignore or only briefly mention other ones. Here, three very new authors combine their talents to present a wealth of methodologies and an abundance of projects. For each project, instructions come first. And after breezing through a history and overview of equipment, the authors emphasize the how-to in such stitches as peyote and herringbone and such elaborate processes as tubular beaded crochet. Every one of the more than 25 projects focuses on a specific tool or technique, complete with color graphs, list of materials, size and measurements, a color photo, and diagrams whenever apropriate. Although directions for fashioning, say, a Victorian ivy-leaf charm bracelet or an elephant eloquence necklace are presented with plenty of details, beginners at least will need a jeweler's loupe or extra-strength magnifying glass to decipher the initial information. Glossary appended.Barbara Jacobs