The Art of Bead Embroidery

Im new to beading. And I found this book to be very helpful. The directions in it were very understandable, and easy to follow as a beginner beader. I also want to add that I ordered this book from Amazon when Barnes an noble didnt ship my books for 2 weeks. They then told me there was a problem with the shipment and would refund my pruchase. I will never shop with that company again. From now on i will only shop with Amazon!! And Amazon shipped my purchases lightening fast. It took a matter of 4 days for me to recieve my shipment. Elizabeth Godwin Lancaster Ca

A good book to get you started doing bead embroidery. A great book for experienced beaders for inspiration. I have long admired both of these ladies work and am often on their websites studying their pieces. The beautiful photograph and the shared techniques in this book make studying easier. I liked the lay out of the book giving equal time to both artist. I have shared this book with two of my beading friends and they were awestruck with this beautiful book.

The main reason I purchased this book is the type of work that the authors create. The second reason is because I have met her and her husband in the past as we all have a biker lifestyle. She lives in my area. Her work is so magnificent that it is scary. I looked at this book very carefully and was just in awe. She and her co-author were destined to meet and collaberate. Spelling stinks sometimes! These ladies have the talent that beads the band! They are queens of jewelry making. The items are beautiful beyond words. And yes, I plan on using their pieces as ideas for my own envisioned pieces but my skill level is just entering intermediate. I discovered that stringing is not something that I want to do full time. I have been looking all over for info on very intricate pieces that I might be able to attempt to make. I live in Butler, PA and was just very happy to see there really are other beaders in western PA. Ladies, keep up that most dramatic and beautiful work. Keep writing books so I can keep on keeping on!!!! HIGHLY recommended. Thank you. Jeanne Zimmerman

I love this book. This book meets all of my expectations. Some years ago I bought "Beading with Cabochons" and this book is much easier to follow. Most importantly, when I had questions the book didn't address, I emailed Heidi Kummli and got a response the same day. I am a beader who lets the beads take me in whatever direction they tell me to go. I had the opinion that "real" bead artists plan out their designs first and then just follow their design. I was pleased to see that Sherrie Serafini says she does not plan out the details of her project. Bead embroidery is like doodling with beads. When you follow where your hands and the beads "tell" you to go, the result is almost magical. You see that you have created something from "nothing." Also, note well, it is important to use real Ultrasuede. For my first project, I bought ultrasuede at Jo-Ann Fabrics and it frays. Real Ultrasuede does not fray. The fabric is the same on the back as it is on the front. There are different thicknesses in the real stuff. Heidi Kummli said she uses either "soft" or "heavy." There is no store where I live that sells it. The least expensive I found on line was at Fields Fabrics. They have a wonderful array of colors and you can buy as little as 1/8 yard. Beyond Beading is another good site and was the second least expensive I found. Plus they sell metal cuffs for those who want to embroider on an existing form. I am looking forward with great anticipation to Sherrie Serafini's new book.

This book is a must have for anyone interested in starting bead embroidery. All the basic information, instructions and tons of great close up color images. This was written by two well known bead artists and it is nice to see two different views side by side. I can't thank them enough for getting together and composing this wonderful learning experience. Pat Smith The Art of Bead Embroidery

Having already purchased and reviewed Sherry Serafini's excellent NEWER book on bead embroidery, I couldn't quite bring myself to 5 star this one. It is, however, still a GREAT resource and a good book to have in your library if you want to learn about using cabochons and doing bead embroidery. I'm especially impressed that both Sherry and Heidi are able to put their artwork into project form, because projects usually call for step by step matter of fact - which bead embroidery is not. They've both done a great job of explaining how to prepare, draw out and plan where you want the beads to go before you start beading. I prefer to just let the beads FLOW where they may, but for many, having a plan is important - so this book will help with that. A great inspirational book - but I probably won't actually do the projects. I did, however, gain some great insight and an idea on how to successfully bead embroider with my piece of broken amethyst rock. Thanks, Heidi!

This is one of three books l go to for inspiration and instruction, but this one you get 2well known and talented authors in one book. Both Sherry and Heidi have their own styles and way of doing things which they explain side by side, as well as the tools they prefer to work with and why. The book is well written and well photographed. And there are projects by both designers. What could be better?! This is a book to have in your library if your thinking about trying bead embroidery or if your just starting. They take the fear out of it.

I have been waiting for this book to come out and I wasn't disappointed by it! It is a great book to have in your collection. The instructions are straight forward and easy to understand, along with great pictures if you are a visual learner. The gallery of pieces throughout the book are to die for and will help you to create your own "one of a kind" materpiece. Both girls do similar work with slightly different approaches, but the results are fantastic...they both make is look so simple.