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Annika deGroot's Aspen Choker
deGroot’s book Micro-Macrame: 30 Beaded Designs for Jewelry using Crystals and Cords is near the top of my Birthday Wishlist. I’ll review once I get my grubby little hands on it!
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…)
Content Quality: 4/5
Organization / Ease of Navigation: 2/5
Regular Updates: Yes
Techniques Covered: Beadweaving and stringing
Recommended For: Beginner and intermediate beaders
Comments: There is a lot of content on this site. Patterns (free and for sale), graph papers, information on designers, beginner tips, a regular newsletter, an annual contest and more. The patterns are sold by a variety of different designers which explains the varying levels of complexity and taste of the patterns. It also means that the quality of the instructions will vary significantly from pattern to pattern. To find the things that suit your own style, be prepared to wade through a lot of unwanted material. Bead-Patterns boasts 12,708 different items, but very few ways to browse. A few possible browse categories are: graph paper, free items only, jewelry, holiday/seasonal patterns, home decor and a few others. If you find a pattern you like, you can click on the designer’s name and will get a page that only shows that person’s designs. (more…)
Instruction Quality: 4/4
Photo/Illustration Quality: 3/3
Project Quality: 3/3
Techniques Covered: Wire Work
Recommended For: Everyone; simple tutorials for beginners and complex projects for more advanced wire workers.
Comments: I’ve only used two of the tutorials – the free marble Cage Pendant and the $9 Off Beat Pendant tutorial, but I imagine the othes are written with the same care. Photos document every step and clearly demonstrate the step. Each tutorial ends with photos and a brief descrioption of some variations you can make using the same technique. (more…)
