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"The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving" by Carol Wilcox Wells
January 27, 2010 at 12:52:24 PM
 


�The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving� by Carol Wilcox Wells

I�m an avid fan of anything written by Carol Wilcox Wells.  Let�s face it, her first book, �Creative Bead Weaving� (review to follow at some later date, after I locate my misplaced personal copy of it) is considered a standard for beadweavers, a de facto �bible� of beadweaving.

I purchased this book with a gift certificate someone had given me, to a once-local bead store.  It turned out to be one of the best gifts ever.

After �Creative Bead Weaving,� purchased on the advice of the owners of this great bead store (who did not steer me wrong), I thought that book would be a tough act to follow.  And yes, it was; however, �The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving� rises nicely to the challenge and overcomes it.  I�m very happy to report that I certainly didn�t consider my purchase of this book to be at all a waste of my precious gift certificate.

This book takes up where �Creative Bead Weaving� left off.  It�s divided into sections, starting with �Beaded Beads.�  This first section alone starts one off with a variety of different techniques to make beaded beads; peyote, netting, RAW, etc.  As with �Creative Bead Weaving,� there are plenty of how-to instructions, as well as projects which allow one to put the instructions into use for an actual project.

The rest of the book consists of entire sections on chevron chain, crocheted ropes, herringbone stitch, peyote stitch and spiral rope.  While some of these techniques appeared in �Creative Bead Weaving� (e.g., peyote stitch), some did not (e.g., herringbone stitch).

The projects are inspiring, the instructions top-notch.  The colors of the beads and the eye candy interspersed throughout the book make me hunger to not only make the projects, but also to try ideas of my own.

If you�re looking to expand on the body of knowledge imparted in �Creative Bead Weaving,� you will not be disappointed with �The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving.�  If you don�t already own this book, run, don�t walk, to your nearest bead or bookstore and grab a copy!

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