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Did you know that peyote stitch and herringbone stitch are the two most popular stitches in beading today? They are! It’s with that knowledge that authors Melinda Barta and Jean Campbell put together two of our most popular beading books. Mastering Peyote Stitch and Mastering Herringbone Stitch are like chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Sure, they’re delicious on their own, but together they’re even better. The cherry on top of this book sundae is that you don’t need to be a beading master to benefit from these books. Actually, it’s quite the opposite. Each of these is designed to take you from absolute beginner to master. Take a look at the more than 100 reasons you should have both these books in your beading library.

50+ TECHNIQUES

Crafty confession time: I stopped counting once I reached more than 25 techniques in each of these books. Yes, I know, you’d probably like to know exactly how many are in each book. Trust me when I say, it’s a lot. In Mastering Peyote Stitch, you’ll learn flat, circular, and tubular peyote stitch. You’ll also learn peyote extras like freeform peyote stitch, combining it with herringbone to shape turns and corners, and right-angle weave combinations. And those are just the basics! You’ll find both even- and odd-count variations, add-ons like square-stitch, and working with 2 needles rather than 1. Mastering Herringbone Stitch is just as comprehensive as its peyote counterpart. It also covers flat, circular, and tubular variations of the stitch. Plus it goes into detailed information on how to work twists and spirals. It even goes so far as to include stringing, knotting, and basic wireworking techniques.

COUNTLESS TIPS

Much like the techniques these reference books cover, I gave up counting all the tips and tricks they contain about halfway through. They’re just so jam-packed! You’ll discover tidbits like how you can adjust the hole size on a bead yourself with a bead reamer. And you’ll wonder how you got along without herringbone graph paper for as long as you have. The amazing talents who authored these books, Melinda Barta and Jean Campbell, poured their years of beading and Beadwork magazine experience into every page.

36 PROJECTS

Unlike counting tips, this was an easy thing to get a definitive number on. Combined, these two books have 36 projects! That’s a whole lot of stitching waiting to happen. The projects are created by a variety of your favorite beading designers. You’ll see step-by-step necklaces, bracelets, and earrings from Jill Wiseman, Cynthia Rutledge, Lisa Kan, Jean Power, Sherry Serafini, Kelly Weise, Carole Ohl, Leslie Frazier, and, of course, Melinda and Jean too!

30+ EXTRA VARIATIONS

As if the more than 30 projects weren’t a huge value alone, each designer shares design options that can take projects to a new level. There are dozens of variations scattered through the books showing how you can turn a bracelet component into matching earrings; how changing colors can dramatically affect the finished look; or how the simple addition of dangles can bring a bit of sparkle to a design. And that’s just to name a few. I could go on adding more reasons you need to books in your beading library. If the more than 100 reasons I just shared aren’t enough to convince you, let us know in the comments below! -Kerry Bogert Editorial Director, Books Note: All images are ©F+W Media, Inc.

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Learn to the 2 Most Popular Stitches in Beading!