Bead and Sequin Embroidery Stitches
Stanley Levy
In A Nutshell: An introductory taster to bead embroidery with good technical know-how and several inspirational projects.
I love a bit of sparkle so I was delighted to receive this “free” book (post and packing costs only) courtesy of an offer with “Making” magazine.
Stanley Levy has an impeccable pedigree for writing this book. Although now retired, he has many years’ beading experience, including creating beaded dresses for various ice skating championships. His experience as a former teacher shines through in the way the book is in a course format, with exercises to start from basics, and gradually build on skills. I was rather fascinated to discover so many different methods existed to sew on beads and sequins. The techniques are illustrated with clear diagrams and the final results shown with a photo.
My favourite part of the book is the Author’s Gallery with pictures and patterns for several projects. Instructions are not given in a great deal of detail, so you will need to fill in the gaps with your own imagination. There are also examples of work from Stanley’s students with only a photo for inspiration.
All the designs are shown in close up detail. I would have liked to see a picture of the complete garment to see how the beading worked with the overall design. This is a book that whetted my appetite but left me wanting more. I felt I was given the technical know-how but would like to see more finished examples of beaded embroidery in practice to provide the inspiration to create my own design.
