Book Review: Dimensional Bead Embroidery

I finally got my act together and did a book review. I had planned it after all to make a couple of them this year :)

Dimensional Bead Embroidery

by Jamie Cloud Eakin (published 2011 by LARK CRAFTS)

The book “Dimensional Bead Embroidery” is one of the most informative books out on the market, that focus around the art of bead embroidery.

Not only a person that already is basic with bead embroidery will enjoy it, but the author explain everything from basic scratch on how to create jewelry with this wonderful technique. In other words, the book is also very useful for beginners.

Like in most beading books the author brings up what kind of basic materials you’ll need for beginning; different types of thread, seed beads, beading needles, backing materials, stabilizers, findings and other tools that are essential to have nearby.
The author also explains how you take an idea and sketch it out on a paper, to later transfer the whole vision into reality.

Jamie will go through the most common bead embroidery stitches from when working on the embroidery surface to a lot of different ways to do the edging.  She also brings different bezel techniques into light that are more than back-stitch laddering and peyote.

One thing Jamie brings into focus that I haven’t really seen in any other books about bead embroidery is how to deal with uneven surfaces and make them flat a.k.a non-cabochons.
She also shows some examples on how to use pendants, doughnuts etc. in bead embroidery; things that have a hole in them. There are also a couple of projects available in the book that shows step by step how to make each one.

“Dimensional Bead Embroidery” is definitely a book that each beader needs to have in their book collection.
Also, if you haven’t read Jamie’s other book, “Beading with Cabochons” I recommend you also to pick that one up as well.