Have you seen Sherry Serafini's Sensational Bead Embroidery book? It's getting rave reviews everywhere. (See the bottom of this post for links.) It's a beautiful book. I've really loved the books in the "Mastering Beadwork" series. I hope whoever thought up this series at Lark Crafts got a raise or a bonus! (See my earlier reviews on the books by Marcia DeCoster and Diane Fitzgerald.)
Sherry Serafini's Sensational Bead Embroidery is gorgeous just as a coffee table book: close-up photos of elaborately beaded bracelets, rings, and necklaces. But it is a how-to book, so in the tradition of my previous reviews of books in this series, I decided to make a project.
This book is a little different from the others in the series, just
because of the subject matter. While the book does include templates
and instructions, you'll find it easy to personalize your projects with
your choice of beads and stitching patterns. My ring is not an exact replica of the ring in the book, but I did follow the instructions for bead sizes and general shape of the cabochon.
My First Bead Embroidered Ring
The rings really captured me, partly because I'm always short on time, but also because you don't see many beaded rings.
I had a few small cabochons that I thought would make nice centerpieces. I glued one to Lacy's Stiff Stuff and let it dry.
The next evening I started sewing the beads around it. I was surprised that the project called for cylinder beads (such as Delicas), but it did make it very easy to create a base, since they all locked together in place. I chose a matte copper and silver beads from my stash. For the picot edging, I chose olive green seed beads with a shiny finish. I liked that this ring used a metal ring band, since I haven't experimented much with those.
While I love the way this ring turned out, it was almost too small of a project. I wanted to keep going! I started a second bead embroidery piece almost immediately. While I've done some bead embroidery before, I'm not an expert. This ring project is a great example of the kind of work you can do as a beginner.
Check out what other beaders and jewelry-makers are saying about this book:
August 1-6 is Book Review Week on my blog. Don't forget to enter to win a copy of Creating Glass Beads.