Beautiful Beadwork from Nature

Starred review from May 15, 2019
The elaborate process of creating tiny beaded works of art has never been so well-captured. Devoting several pages to explaining each of her 16 projects, Shippee emphasizes the painstaking nature of the beautiful creations at hand. While this is not a book for beginning beaders, it lives up to its billing: everything is nature-inspired. Among the more unusual projects are an ocean-waves bracelet that mimics water movements, jellyfish-tassel earrings that sway with the wearer, and a snail-bead necklace (shown on the cover) worn as a statement piece. The book's first two chapters cover tools and materials (from mat surface to bead identification) and techniques, such as netting, ladder stitches, and the prismatic right-angle weave, either three or five-sided (PRAW 3 or 5). Project directions are intensive, with both step-by-step narrative and so-necessary accompanying illustrations. Good color photographs of the finished jewelry are featured alongside information such as skill level, color symbols, dimensions, materials, tools, techniques, and variations (simplification, different colors, and the like). This will naturally inspire beaders to up their skills.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)