It was an honor to be asked to review Kassie Shaw's new
book, "Beadweaving Beyond the Basics." I was sent the preview pdf file of her book
and have spent several hours thoroughly enjoying it.
The book includes 24 beading designs and each design has
beautiful photos and clear instructions.
But it is so much more than just a book full of patterns. In her introduction, Kassie states that her
goal in writing the book was not only to teach readers how to create the
designs, but also to inspire everyone to discover their own creativity and
ideas. She certainly accomplished this
goal with me. I can hardly wait to
finish up my current projects and begin exploring with the ideas that came to
mind as I read each chapter of her book.
Kassie writes that the main purpose of the book is to teach
some intermediate level variations on basic stitches, and then use them as
jumping off points for readers to create their own designs. Her purpose is very clear in all three chapters
of the book as she takes us from a "primer" that explains the basic
bead weaving stitch through her thought process that led her to create the next
design. Beaders who want to create their
own designs will find this book a very practical and inspiring tool to help
them become designers of their own original work.
The primary beading stitch Kassie teaches is Right Angle
Weave (RAW), but instructions on other basic stitches such as Herringbone (Flat
and Tubular), Cubic Right Angle Weave (CRAW), Peyote (Even and Odd Count), and
St. Petersburg Stitch are also included.
The three main chapters explore variations of Right Angle
Weave (RAW): 1) Double Diamond RAW, 2) Faux
RAW, and 3) Layered RAW. The way Kassie
explains each technique and explores the possibility of new designs using these
techniques inspired me as a designer and I highly recommend this book to
others.
