New Craft Books I Love

Now that the girls are home from camp and we’re busy getting ready for the start of school (next week, I am counting the hours days), creative pursuits are on the back burner. I am hopeful I’ll be able to squeeze in an occasional hour or two in the studio, if only to keep my sanity. In the mean time, rather than bore you with all the school supply shopping, doctors’ appointments, driver’s ed classes, hair cuts and so on, I thought I’d share my thoughts on two great new craft books.

Mastering Beadwork by Carol Cypher The sub-title for this book is “A Comprehensive Guide to Off-loom Techniques”. That’s a pretty ambitious statement. Well, I’d have to say, it lives up to its ambitions. If you have any interest in seed bead work, you should get this book. It explains all the major off-loom stitches with projects that progress from basic to advanced. The author provides interesting examples of where you could experiment with interesting variations. The projects even look enticing.  I don’t say that very often with beading projects in books or magazines.  I even like the way the book lays flat on a table.  It’s a great book.

New Directions in Metal Clay by CeCe Wire It’s no surprise that this is an excellent precious metal clay book since the author’s first book was very good. I especially like this book because the aesthetic is very contemporary and reminiscent of traditional metalwork. I am not a big fan of the, for lack of a better word, “organic” style of precious metal clay. The projects in this book take advantage of metal clay’s unique properties, but with a fresh clean style. The work featured in gallery photos throughout the book is exciting and inspiring. If you’re interested in metal clay this book would be an excellent addition to your library.

I admit I love craft books.  If you’ve visited my studio you’d probably call me a craft book junkie.  I’ll also admit that I own a lot of mediocre craft books, and also some really weird art books.  I wouldn’t recommend either of those types of books to anyone else.  I can tell you honestly that neither of these books are mediocre or weird.  They are both great new books that I recommend wholeheartedly.