Tuesday, June 3, 2008

EBW Team Members Recommend Books

This information is the result of a survey of Etsy BeadWeavers which asked the question: "Is there a single # 1 beading book that you think every beadweaver should own?"

1. Creative Bead Weaving by Carol Wilcox Wells

2. The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving by Carol Wilcox Wells

The author says in the introduction to the book: "This book is full of variations. They can be learned in the basic sections of each chapter. They're offered up in the project instructions and can be seen in the gallery photos. Each picture shows another way -- we just have to be open to the view. If an idea comes to you, don't let it pass because there's no precedent. Try it; try another way of doing a stitch; try using different beads." The book will teach you new ways to look at the stitches we use. Good illustrations and suitable for anyone from beginner to more advanced beader.

3. 500 Beaded Objects by Lark Books

4. The Art of Bead Embroidery by Heidi Kummli and Sherry Serafini

5. The Beaders Guide to Colour by Margie Deeb

6. Mastering Beadwork by Carol Huber Cypher

This is a good basic book for a beader who has a bit of experience with off loom bead weaving. Coming to it with no knowledge would make the illustrations confusing. Included are instructions and illustrations for Peyote Stitch, Dutch Spiral, Netting, Spiral Rope, Right Angle Weave, Triangle Weave, Square Stitch, Daisy Chain, Ladder Stitch, Herringbone Stitch, Brick Stitch, African Polygon, African Helix, South African Scallop and Bead Crochet. In a ring binding so it will lay flat when you are following a pattern.

7. Beading in the Native American Tradition by David Dean

8. Beadwork: A World Guide by Caroline Crabtree and Pam Stallebrass

9. Getting Started with Seed Beads by Dustin Wedekind

21 comments:

  1. I own and LOVE the first six books in this list...now I have to go look for the other three :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for putting this together, Marlaine! Now I have more to add to my wish list on amazon.com. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. 500 Beaded Objects is one of my all-time favorite books! I can look at it for days, seriously.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I got both of the Carol Wilcox Wells books from our local library. I own The Art of Bead Embroidery, The Beaders Guide to Colour,and Mastering Beadwork. I must say my favorite is The Art of Bead Embroidery. I recently purchased Creating Crystal Jewelry by Laura McCabe - it is a great book too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for this great info. I have a few of these, but Imay be ordering #2 in the near future.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great list and I have many of them. Now if I could just get the time to savor them all!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh Boy, credit cards here I come!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have "The Art and Elegance.." and taught myself most of the stitches, except for bead crochet. Love that book ! "Mastering Beadwork" is my newest purchase and am working my way through to fill in the gaps. Now to check out the others on the list.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great responses! I've been getting the books on the list from my local library. Means I'm sure I want to own it when I buy it!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I own five of the books on this list. If I could only keep one, it would be Dustin Wedekind's Getting Started with Seed Beads. Covers everything I need to know without overwhelming me.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The Art of Bead Embroidery was HUGE in my development as a beadweaver. I have nothing but great things to say about it.

    Erin
    www.thepreciousbeads.etsy.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ooh a numbered list! Handy for prioritizing;)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for this - I'm a big fan of Getting Started with Seed Beads and always recommend it to beginner beadweavers!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I have the top two Carol Wilcox Wells books. That's how I learnt the stitches I know and they definitely inspired me to learn and grow beadwise :-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have the art of elegant beadweaving. I use it consistanly. The only think I cannot fiquire out is the last peyote stitch project for the spiral bracelet.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh, I love the list of books, especially the seed bead one as I love working with seed beads. I might give the Native American one a try too.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I definately need more books. I only have Carol Cypher's book

    ReplyDelete
  18. I own the Art of Bead Embroidery and it is what inspired me to get started with bead embroidery, and I've never looked back. The pieces featured are just so beautiful! It is more like a coffee table book than an instruction book though I find...

    Its a fantastic list of books. I've been looking for an excuse to purchase Mastering Beadwork for a while now, and the recommendations just might make me do it!

    ReplyDelete
  19. hmm.. I might have to use this post as a guide for my Christmas wish list. :) I don't yet have any books about beading...

    ReplyDelete
  20. I don't have ANY of the books listed here - but may have to start adding these to my collection soon! This list is really helpful for someone like me - who knows a bit but still has a lot to learn and needs all the help that she can get!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I recently got the "White Russian" and it really should be on the list :0). It's all in Russian but the photos make it easy to follow. I'm going to dig in to it soon. Does anyone else have this book?

    ReplyDelete