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REVIEW - Beadwork
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Far Away Places
Guide Rating - c c c c c
Suzanne Cooper 2001
8 1/2 X 11 Paperback 45 Pages
Color Photos and Color Graphs
$19.95 plus shipping
The Bottom Line - Gorgeous!
Guide Review
Far Away Places
A gem of a travel guide!
Leave it to Suzanne Cooper to design a world trip full of
lush and lovely images. This travelogue contains patterns for
40 different necklace, mini-tapestries and earring patterns,
with full color realistic charts, photographs of finished pieces
and a mini-commentary on each.
This is another book that I would want to own even if I didn't
bead. Patterns ranging from a gorgeous Geisha, a wonderful wall
hanging Cuckoo Clock, Midnight at the Chrysler Building, Mud
Cloth, Fleur de Lis, an incredible Carousel Horse and one of
my favorites, and China Goldfish (with amazing detail) all combine
with many other beauties to make up an amazing beaded work tour.
Suzanne also includes her "Beader's Digest" condensed
instructions as well as a graph for text to be used on amulet
straps. She includes her handy dandy bead guide for you to copy
and use, as well.
We even get an introduction to the "Bead Elves"
and see the beadwork of such luminaries as Frieda Bates, Bonnie
Brooks, Sally Miller, Barbara Henthorn, Debbie Williams, Valerie
Hixson, Elizabeth Scarborough, Charlene Hughes Betsey Ventrella
Johnnie Garrison, Cisco Cosgrove, Sherrill Lewis, and Katie Magill.
Each of the graphs are full page, so there will be no need
to enlarge or get new eyeglasses. They are easy to read, and
many have some great tips for wearing or displaying the finished
pieces.
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Review- FAR AWAY PLACES
- Rocky Mountain
Bead Society
This book is one of the best yet from Suzanne Cooper. There
is so very much to like and at least three Irish "Celtic"
designs. The single one I must do as soon as possible is "China
Goldfish", as I love the design, the colors and the fringe.
Not being a person who is enamored of fringe this is quite a
statement. I may even use the same colors as suggested-that's
how much I like this design-and I almost never do that.
I've always liked Suzanne's approach to designing. In every
book she has put out, I've always thought, "I wish I'd done
that first." The reason being if I'd done it first, Suzanne's
way is exactly the way I would have wanted to do it. Part of
this phenomenon may be that I really like graphic designs and
Suzanne Cooper tends to have a strongly graphic voice in her
designs. Whatever the reason that still stands true.
Some of the nice things included in this book are pictures
of the group that was in Ireland in 2000. What an inspiring place
to visit. The designs are all from places the author has visited
or hopes to visit or in one case, where her husband wants to
visit. Continuing to the next page we see the five wide peyote
stitch with alphabet that has become a main stream thing to use
in neckstraps. Then there is the Beader's Digest of Condensed
Instructions and a Handy Dandy Bead Pattern Guide with permission
to make one and how to do it included. Worth the price right
there.
The designs are well laid out and large enough to be useful
for almost any age of eyes. They are four color and on slick
heavy paper. The Color Guide is clearly printed with the Delicia
bead color and amount of each color used beside the bead color.
Little extras include earring designs, some designed by the Bead
Elf who did the beading and sometimes designed by the author.
Each design has a little paragraph with something interesting
to say about the origins of the designs. It is fun to have local
color about things that aren't local at all. Most designs have
a large size and a smaller size. This can be advantageous for
those who feel they aren't large enough to carry off a big design.
The approximate sizes are listed under each design so it is easy
to reference the finished size with a glance.
As you can tell there are a lot of goodies in this book. I'd
tell you more, but I really do need to get started on the China
Goldfish design right now. You need to get this book as soon
as possible for your use.
Review- FAR AWAY PLACES
- Copper Coyote
Ltd
WOW! Suzanne's new designs take us on a world tour, and are
all just wonderful, and so different from each other in feeling
and style. This very creative lady has given us 40 necklace,
mini-tapestry and earring patterns to do in peyote or brick stitch
-- just pick a country you'd like to visit and bead away! There's
a carousel horse from Belgium, a sunface from Spain, some exquisite
Celtic designs from Ireland plus designs from Ancient Egypt,
Africa, Southwest US, New York City, the Far East, Italy, the
Caribbean, Morocco, and more. The book features wonderful huge
color graphs -- no squinting necessary!! An alphabet chart is
included so you can weave text into your straps.
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