Feb/Mar 13
Julie Ashford and her sister Christine are familiar faces in the beading world. Their business 'Spellbound Beads' has grown from its market stall beginnings to a well-established physical and virtual shop providing beaders with all the materials, tools and findings necessary to complete the glittering projects in this book. Julie has taught beading for more than 20 years, and this hands-on experience shines through in the light, conversational tone of the instructional text. Reading the book, you feel almost as if you are attending a Spellbound workshop, with Julie gently helping you ease out 'Knotty Problems and Too Many Threads' - the subject of one of many useful tips boxes sprinkled throughout the book. The Spellbound beading philosophy is an accessible one: if you have a needle, and a handful of beads, you can unlock a world of possibilities. Even the simplest techniques can produce amazingly luxurious results. Methods are described clearly and simply, accompanied by illustrations which guide you every step of the way to making a range of 'tasseltastic' beaded creations, from bracelets to bookmarks, tassels to tiebacks.
* Stitch *
Oct 12
I do like a bit of bling and this lovely book certainly has a lot of it! Yet another for my bookshelf.
It is packed full of projects. All of which have detailed recipes and fully illustrated step by step instructions, and all are graded for difficulty. All the basics are explained from terminology to techniques. Design ideas and inspirations throughout plus useful hints and tips. Full colour throughout including lots of photos.
* Craft Arena craftarena.blogspot.co.uk *
