Be Bold Jewelry REVIEWS

OK, so I had some time today, and thought, I’ll add a few new links for tutorials. I’m happy to report I added more than just a few! I’ve put a significant dent in my folder of “To-Be-Added” links.

There are now 52 links to free beading tutorials/patterns/projects, 10 sites for free wire wrapping tutorials, 13 links to misc other tutorials.  If you include all the forum links I’ve edged past the 100 mark.

But don’t worry, there is still more to be added! I’m hoping to get more glass working tutorial links up soon to celebrate getting more thinfire – time to fire up the kiln!

-M.G.

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In no particular order, because they are all wonderful resources:

1. Guide to Beadwork (r)

2.  Jewelry Supply Video Tutorials

3. Auntie’s Beads Video Tutorials

4. Beadwork.About

5. Sage’s Encyclopedia (r)

Have a different list in mind? Post your Top 5 in the Comments section!

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Hello All,

A recent conversation with a friend turned into a Top 5 list-a-thon, which made me think…hmmm…what are some Top 5 lists I could do for jewelry? So, in addition to my normal reviews, I’m going to start adding the occaisional Top 5 list.  Since my friend is a beginning beadweaver (Yeah, this is why my recent fixation on adding links and reviews for beginner resources), I’ll start with a Top 5 list for Beginners.

Regards,

M.G.

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Instruction Quality: 3/4

Photo/Illustration Quality: 2/3

Organization / Ease of Navigation: 2.5/3

Techniques Covered: Beadweaving, Basics, Finishing techniques

Recommended for: Beginning beaders and experienced beaders looking to add a new stitch to their repertoire.

Comments: This is a nice site that provides tutorials for almost all most popular stitches: Herringbone, Peyote, Brick, Daisy, St. Petersburg, etc. It also provides basics and finishing information and a nice little glossary. One nice touch is that terms found in the Glossary appear in bold throughout the site – sort of like in a textbook. An improvement that I would love to see would be links from each of those terms to the Glossary term. I realize that process would be pretty time intensive, so I can’t complain about it!  Although the site does not have any particular projects to complete, it does have thorough instructions, so with a little imagination you can effectively design your own pieces. The site provides some nice tips, for instance suggesting beginners first try Peyote using Delicas or sliver lined Czech seed beads since they have less of the “round” shape, making them easier to stitch. (more…)

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Content Quality: 4.5/5

Organization / Ease of Navigation:  4.5/5

Regular Updates: Yes

Techniques Covered: Several beadweaving stitches, fringe, explains basic tools & supplies

Recommended For: Beginner beadweavers

Comments: The free online Guide to Beadwork is a nice resource for beginning beadweavers. Navigation of the site is pretty intuitive; there is always a button for returning to the table of contents and you can jump ahead to other sections of the same chapter without having to return to the main page. It did lose half a point for inconsistent labeling though. For instance the “next”  and “book” buttons appear in a few different places, forcing the user to hunt for it. (more…)

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Ease of Use: 4/5

Features: 5/5

Recommended for: Beadweavers who create their own patterns and want a program that allows them to manipulate patterns in ways you can not with paper graphs. Great even for people with little computer experience.

Comments: I downloaded the free evaluation copy, which allows you to do everything except save or print the patterns you’ve created.  (I do wish that it allowed you to print off one of the 40+ free sample patterns that are bundled into the software so users could see exactly how the patterns would print.) (more…)

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