Beautiful Bead Embroidery

Feb/Mar 08

From the same team that publish 'Inspirations' embroidery magazine, anyone familiar with that publication will see a similarity with the work featured in this book, indeed, we recognised many of the projects as having previously been in the magazine. The projects themselves are mainly highly decorative and 'pretty' with lots of beautiful colours, fabrics, threads, beads and sequins combined to make heirloom quality items. Although this is a book perhaps more suited to a more advanced beader/embroiderer, we liked the clear photographs that accompanied the instructions for each project.

Feb 07

Gazing at this book is sure to make anybody yearn to own one of the truly beautiful confections within it. These are professional quality accessories to die for, but all laid out with clear diagrams, instructions, lists of what you need and at the back, patterns to remove and use. If you have ever looked at a copy of this reviewer's favorite needlecraft magazine Inspirations and wanted more, then here it is.

Bags, a bride's matching set, Christmas decorations, purses, trinket pots, pictures and, to cap it all, glorious dancing pumps adorned with azure satin ribbons and beaded dragon motifs, now you can take your wardrobe and decor to the next level. Learn how to bead on lace, make three dimensional berries, attach beads so they lie together neatly, smock and have a go at some embroidery stitches you might not know. The real joy is that it all looks so terribly advanced, and although it is very much a book for the more advanced embroiderer everything is clearly explained. I particularly like the pages of neat photographs showing in easy stages how to perform a technique; they really are very simple to follow and get right. Also to enjoy are Country Bumpkin Publications' hallmark of adorning the pages with little pictures of vintage photographs, illustrations, artifacts and such, making it a very pretty book indeed. Combining beauty and practicality in the most delightful way, this is surely one of my favorite embroidery/beadwork books of the past twelve months.