Nancy Eha

97 pages filled with about 10 techniques for the lavish embellishment of large motif fabrics with the use of seed and bugle beads. It is written for beginners.

The techniques covered include basic bead embroidery, beaded coils, writing with beads, elevated beading, setting a cabochon, beaded kaleidoscopes, large images, dragonfly, snowflakes and beaded art garments. Each technique is fully illustrated in 4 - 10 pages, depending on the difficulty. Her manner of showing where the needle and thread should be placed for each step of the way is unique. I have never seen it demonstrated this explicitly in any other bead book. The snowflake and dragonfly are more than techniques, but are projects that you can make. In addition there are a couple of pages at the end of the book with patterns that you can photocopy and use yourself.… (altro)

Bead Creative Like Crazy is Nancy Eha's newest book. It was self-published in 2009 by Ceative Visions Press. It has 113 pages filled with about 8 techniques for the embellishment of a crazy quilt block with the use of seed and bugle beads. It is written for beginners.

The techniques covered include basic bead embroidery, back stitch vines, buttonhole stitch, chain stitch, cretan stitch, chevron stitch, fans, feather stitch, and fly stitch. Each technique is fully illustrated within 4 pages. There are also instructions for leaves, flowers, grapes and berries motifs as well as a beaded web and a spider. While these 14 motifs and techniques are demonstrated, the photos throughout the book show over a hundred stitch combinations that you can make. These photos are invaluable.

Nancy's manner of showing where the needle and thread should be placed for each step of the way is unique. I have never seen it demonstrated this explicitly in any other bead book except her earlier book. In addition there are a couple of pages at the end of the book with patterns that you can photocopy and use yourself. Being able to purchase the right supplies is critical if you want to try crazy beading. Japanese seed beads are preferred over Czech because they have larger holes and are uniform in size and smoothness. You will need to buy the beads at a bead shop or online in order to find them. Also, Silamide thread is preferred over Nymo because it is stronger. If you are planning on beading with crystals, the Firefly thread is recommended because of its strength. Nancy recommends the John James beading needles. These needles are sold primarily in the UK and you may have a hard time finding them. Also, Nancy recommends using a beading mat to lay your beads out on. The mat is easier on the wrist than a plastic container top which most people use. You can buy most of these supplies from Nancy's website. She does not carry the beads, however.… (altro)