Beading Books
We love beading books whether they are traditionally produced, self published, created on CD (compact disk) or prepared electronically for immediate download to our computers (PDF format). What a wonder of guidance, inspiration and artful enjoyment!
Our lists of beading books include LINKS to additional resources and favorite sites, images and online instruction. We confess, our favorite books tend to focus on technique, but we have listed a few survey and project books as well (see definitions below). ISBN numbers are included for each volume as we encourage use of the public library (USA) and searching multiple sources. We also meander into associated crafts, which welcome the addition of beads. We hope you enjoy our web cruise and seek out booklists at the websites of all your favorite bead artists. In the market to purchase beading books? We hope you will do so through our pages (as it helps support this website) Nevertheless, there is more than one way to access a volume, see How to Find a Book.
Books about Beads
Bead history, bead culture & beads from certain regions.
Beadwork Techniques
come in such variety! Bead embellishment benefits from knowledge of needlework, bead stitch, loom & off loom beadweaving. If one is inspired to have the beads lift from the surface, beading books for bead jewelry, wirework, 3D vessal beading only add to creative satisfaction! Embroidery Books improve our stitch and help our creative application with beads and other materials. Everyone has some favorites; here are some of ours along with website references for adding knowledge. Fabric Geography & Dimensional Embroidery includes fabric manipulation, piecing, smocking and quilt techniques, embellishment as well as dimensional stitchery adding beads, of course! Beaded Costume & Wild Ideas! As well as Fitting the Figure, preparing a Dress Form, and adjusting that wearable art pattern. Make your own shoes, accessories and garments (and bead them of course!) spice up your own wardrobe! (Can you tell this is an area where we get excited?) Resources for researching costume both modern and historic.
Passementerie, Tassels, Ribbonry & Beads Jewelry Books (Not beading books, but) survey books showing the astounding variety and amazing cultural diversity in the Jewelry materials and designs of the World: be surprised! be inspired! Books about beadcraft fall into several camps:
Survey Books that are a photographic overview of Artists' shows or
Bead Shows
have wonderful eye-candy but little explanation of how the work was done. Excellent for inspiration, and viewing that which is innovative or re-emerging in bead art.
Artist-authored beading books with both bead work and techniques shown are superb eye-candy with beading stitches
and jewelry construction. This genre includes both hardbound and electronic books.
Publisher's books demonstrating specific beadwork techniques from one or many artists are wonderfully heavy with illustrations and descriptions, the most recently published will have the color photography we have all grown to love.
General craft books that include beading can be VERY general, therefore read descriptions carefully & reviews if possible. Any issue that claims "everything about beadwork is included in this book" is simply not so. But if the craft book or
craft magazine
well describes a technique with clear explanations and a pattern or two to get you started, it may be a great fit.
Scholarly beading books investigate a history, a geographic area or a
bead type.
Beads have cultural significance worldwide and happily, some collectors have documented their considerable study of beads and beadwork. Journals from Bead Societies and
Bead Museums
fall into this category as does the lively interchange on group websites such as the
Bead Collectors Corner
and friendly discussion forum for sharing and learning about collectible beads at the
Bead Collectors Network.
which has literally thousands of high-resolution images!
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