Healing Beadwork by Susan H. Aguirre

My (Amazon.com) Bookstore

Most of the books listed here are available to purchase (linked to the main Amazon.com site...I get credit for your purchases). Those books/titles that are not underlined/clickable aren't listed at the Amazon.com site. I have left them on this page in order to share with you what has been most helpful and inspiring to me.

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I have grouped these book selections into the following categories:

Instruction Books & Projects & Purely Patterns

Instruction Books: with Projects and/or Galleries of Beadwork

IMHO, this is the queen of all beadwork instructions books for any off-loom beadweaving. Here you will find great instruction in techniques such as peyote, brick, right-angle weave, square stitch, African helix, netting, various chains. etc. There are projects strewn throughout the book, fabulous illustration in black and white and in color and galleries of finished bead artwork to inspire you. This is a must-have book!

This is a funky little book. Black and white typewritter-like illustrations (they do the trick) will keep you busy learning simple yet elegant techniques for necklaces and amulet bag straps, earrings, etc. In his lifetime, Horace has instructed many people through this book and the web is filled with ideas inspired by his work. The loomwork and bead embroidery instruction are minimal.

Where Creative Beadweaving is weak, this book fills in. The black and white illustrations and color photos are excellent. There are many projects in this book. Another must-have!

This is a great book if you want to get started making amulet or spirit purses/bags. This book has helped many people onto the path of serious beading obsession. There are seven projects (ranging from beginner to advanced) from various well-known bead artists, including Carol Wilcox Wells. Techniques for making the bags appear within the book, as well as a gallery of inspiration that keeps me coming back time after time. My copy is so worn it is ready to fall apart!

This book has been both inspiration and insanity-producing. The technique referred to as "dutch spiral" comes from this book. There have been many beautiful necklaces and other projects made from these exact instructions, as well as other spirals that have been inspired by the patterns. Because the book is translated from the Dutch language, bead terms can be confusing, but there are many beaders on the net that can help you out, including myself in my Dutch Spiral Gallery.

The first is the book that started me on my netting craze. There are a series of different books in the "Beady Eyed Women's" line, but these two are the only ones that I currently own and use. Both books are spiral bound with great cover and back illustrations. The illustrations in the interior are black & white. A few projects per book, with instructions on techniques versus patterns to duplicate. This method helps you to develop your own designs. Both these books and the others can be purchased directly from the Beady Eyed Women site

This large sized and thick book is full of detailed and up-close black & white photo illustration/instructions. There are also color photos showing the many items from the book. If you are in any way, shape, or form interested in creating beautiful western-style jewelry, this is the book to buy!

Here is where you will find instructions for various chains, including the Flowerette chain that inspired me to produce a bracelet and necklace using the technique. The book is a small spiral-bound one, with black and white illlustrations throughout and a color photo on the front showing the various chains.

The subtitle reads: Six beadwork techniques to create 23 necklace and earring sets. This book has great close-up photo illustration, grey-scaled and color graphics for instruction and fabulously laid out photos of the finished projects. The techniques covered are: back-stitch, netting, brick stitch and edge beading, peyote stitch, and split-loom techniques. There is also a very inspiring gallery of Alaskan beadwork artist's work.

This small spiral bound book has wonderful designs for 3D/shaped brick-stitch angels, fairies and butterflies to be made into necklaces, pins or hanging ornaments. She also includes very nice instructions on what she calls "advanced brick stitch", as well as instructions for finishing each piece including detailed fringe patterns. The book has large colored and easy-to-use graphs. At first, I though this book was a bit pricey at $24.95...but I found myself going back to it so many times at my local beadstore, I just had to break-down and buy it - and I don't regret it! You can purchase this book from Rita's site.

I saw what seemed like "everybody" with this book at the Spring Bead Retreat. And everybody seemed to be making bracelets from this book. I finally picked up a copy at the Bead & Button show (2001) in Milwaukee. Now in August, 2001 I made up 5 bracelets of one design and I can't seem to stop! Great instructions, great diagrams. You can purchase this book through U Bead It, which is Yvonne's bead shop in Sacramento, CA.

Purely Pattern Books

Note: These books have minimal or no instruction on the techniques used. They are intended for the intermediate or advanced beader, or to be used in combination with the books appearing above.

This is a fantastic little book, full of wonderful designs to delight and inspire you. I was hooked by this book when I saw a pattern for an Alien needlecase with the title: "Take me to your beader!" The graphs are large and 3D-like, colored and easy to follow. There are 24 designs in all, and the finished projects are well displayed showing excellent ideas for the fringe and necklace portions.

I have made 3 amulet bags, butterfly, lattice and spiral from the first book, and have only had time to drool over the lovely creations in the the "Another" and Beaded Elegance books. All three books can be purchased from their website, The Beadgang

If you have ever seen and fallen in love with elegant vintage purses, this is the book for you! Suzanne has beautifully recreated some fantastic beaded, netted, enameled and crocheted bags. Each design comes in two sizes with bracelet versions as well. The graphs are detailed and well-colored, and the photos of the original work and finished "copies" are exquisite! This book, as well as her many others can be ordered from Suzanne Cooper's website.