Review on 📿 Laura McCabe's Embellished Beadweaving: Master Class Jewelry with Fringe, Fronds, Lacework & More - Unleash Your Creativity! by Linda Diaz

Laura McCabe is one of my favorite bead teachers and I'm excited for the release of her new book which I pre-ordered a few months ago. The wait for her new book was definitely worth it! It has eighteen awesome projects, and each teaches you a new skill. This book differs from her first book in that the first is about using Swarovski crystals in all projects. This second McCabe book doesn't have that "classy" factor that her first book had, but every part is really nice. The pieces are a little more reserved, as they use fewer Swarovski crystals and instead place more emphasis on using pearls (especially keshi), magatama and pearls. The book is divided into several main sections:* 1: Beading Through History* 2: Basic Beading Kit (covers materials every beader needs)* 3: Basic Stitches and Techniques* 4: Detailed Beading Guide* 5: Approximation Color and Design* 6 : Projects* Design Gallery (by several other bead makers, not just McCabe) The first five sections are 53 pages long and cover the background story, design principles and techniques really well. I was pleasantly surprised that so much space was devoted to these important fundamentals. Some lines overlap with her first book (e.g. Ndebele and Basic Coiled Rope), but the jewelry department is entirely new and unique, and includes many unique pieces of jewelry that McCabe really excels at. As another reviewer pointed out, the jewelry department is just wonderful. Almost all of the designs are very natural/organic, with designs such as sea shapes, clusters of berries and various flower petals. The patterns/instructions themselves are also very clear and divided into sections. The illustrations are not as numerous as in Rachel Nelson-Smith's new book, but the instructions are clear enough that the lack of detailed drawings/illustrations shouldn't be a problem. Additionally, there are many illustrations and photos in the decoration section, so it should be easy to return to this section of the book while working on a piece. some of the more recent pieces I've seen on McCabe's website such as Kesha's Pearl Necklace (cover), Dahlia Necklace, Well Kept Secret, and April Rain Necklace. Beading from a book will be a lot easier if the book lies nice and straight as you work. As for the book's intended audience, I would say it's more for intermediate to advanced beaders. There are a few earring and ring designs that the intermediate beginner could try, but you probably want to be fairly comfortable with pattern reading. At the time of writing this review (05/01/10) Revain does not have this feature available for this book, but as with all bead books I generally recommend looking at some of the designs before purchasing to ensure the style of the projects you like . Hopefully Revain will enable the Look Inside feature soon! There are a few earring and ring designs that the intermediate beginner could try, but you probably want to be fairly comfortable with pattern reading. At the time of writing this review (05/01/10) Revain does not have this feature available for this book, but as with all bead books I generally recommend looking at some of the designs before purchasing to ensure the style of the projects you like . Hopefully Revain will enable the Look Inside feature soon! There are a few earring and ring designs that the intermediate beginner could try, but you probably want to be fairly comfortable with pattern reading. At the time of writing this review (01.05. 10) Revain doesn't have this feature available for this book, but as with all bead books I generally recommend looking at some of the designs before you buy to ensure the style of the projects you like. Hopefully Revain will enable the Look Inside feature soon! to make sure you like the style of the projects. Hopefully Revain will enable the Look Inside feature soon! to make sure you like the style of the projects. Hopefully Revain will enable the Look Inside feature soon! that you like the style of the projects. Hopefully Revain will enable the Look Inside feature soon! to make sure you like the style of the projects. Hopefully Revain will enable the Look Inside feature soon! that you like the style of the projects. Hopefully Revain will enable the Look Inside feature soon! to make sure you like the style of the projects. Hopefully Revain will enable the Look Inside feature soon!