BEADING ON FABRIC: Encyclopedia of Bead Stitch Techniques 2006
BEADING ON FABRIC: Encyclopedia of Bead Stitch Techniques
by Larkin Jean Van Horn, Interweave Press, c2006
reviewed by Patty Wanninger
Like many of us, Van Horn was attracted to beads at an early age, and she combined them with an interest in embroidery and needlework. She was self-taught, and her early efforts in beading on fabric resulted in heartbreak - lots of beads broken and missing over time.
So she wrote this book to give directions for doing stitches in the most secure way possible, so your beads will stay where you put them. The first two chapters are a thorough discussion of the tools of stitching with beads – she covers different kinds of threads, beads, fabric, backing, storage, traveling with beads, and colorfastness. The chapter on stitches has clear directions and useful illustrations. For inspiration, there are photographs of the author’s works, including clothing, embellished quilts, beaded buttons, and cabochon pendants, but I’m sure the photographs don’t do the pieces justice. This is not a book of instructions for making the items shown, though there are several patterns for making bezels for cabochons. Instead, this book gives you the fundamentals for combining beads with fabric, and then shows you the heights to which you can climb once you add an obsession for fabric to your beader’s stash.
