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Book Review - My Beaded Garden
My Beaded Garden
by Varvara Konstantinov (Author)
Paperback: 74 pages
Publisher: Jewelry by Varvara; (September 2003)
ISBN: 5766802269
Varvara's self-published book is full of intricate floral beadwork. You'll find peyote, netting, coralling, Russian leaves, fringing, and edged embroidery. These serious designs for 12 necklaces will take some hours to achieve, but the results are stunning and Varvara's instructions are so detailed that even a beginner can accomplish them. The necklace designs can be adapted to make other types of jewelry and also flowers. |
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I've admired Varvara's lovely beading for some years now, but I never got around to purchasing either of her books (her previous book, Coraling Technique, provides instructions for 10 fabulous necklaces) because I already own several books about Russian beading (Varvara is from Moscow) and felt her books were variations on the theme. This is true, and if you are already proficient with Russian techniques you probably won't get anything out of Varvara's books BUT if you have shied away from the Russian books because they were in Cyrillic, then Varvara's books (which are in English) may be just what you need!
This is a book of 12 floral-themed designs. As with the other book, the designs are for necklaces. In many cases, Varvara explains how to adapt the designs for bracelets, earrings, or beaded flowers. The book is relatively thin (74 pages), but the pages are large (around notebook paper size) with large easy-to-read type and crystal-clear black/white diagrams. There are color plates in the middle of the book which showcase the designs. The first part of the book is an overview of basic beading techniques (the designs look terribly complicated, but the techniques really aren't!). Then the projects are presented. If you have read some of my other reviews, you'll know I'm critical of project books that don't give you detailed instructions about completing the project. There's no need to worry with the book. There's a materials list for each project (no exact bead counts... those will depend on the size of your neck) and really nice step-by-step instructions. The photography of the finished work is clear, too. The English in the book is excellent. What can I say... Varvara and Galina (Barskaya) have turned out an incredible book! I very highly recommend it, for beginning beaders through intermediate beaders and for any advanced beaders who want to recreate Varvara's designs but weren't exactly sure of the details. Bravo Varvara!
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