Review: Beading With Right Angle Weave

The people at Beadwork magazine have done it again with this installment in their "How-To" Series on beading stitches. This time out it's Right Angle Weave or RAW, and the author is Chris Prussing, a master of the art.

Like the books preceding it on Peyote, Brick, and Herringbone Stitches, this one is a winner. It follows the now familiar format of starting small and basic, adding variations and levels of difficulty, and ending with a gallery of eye popping projects to inspire you to go wild with the stitch.

I have to confess that RAW is one of my favorite stitches, and I use the one needle method exclusively. Ms. Prussing uses the two needle method, but to her credit, all projects are shown both ways, so the beader can do whichever she pleases. Admittedly, some of the two needle directions look easier and faster than my usual method, but probably aren't as durable as my single needle/doubled thread pieces, which are almost Amanda-proof.

To me, the variations are the most exciting part of this book, which made me look at right angle weave completely differently. In my mind, RAW was made up of tidy little squares, but Chris shows variations that you'd never believe were RAW at all! Anf for us gluttons for punishment, she has a few patterns there at the end to make three dimensional shapes using the stitch.

One project I've already begun is my version of the piece on the cover: a necklace she made of carnelian and garnet that I'm making of malachite and gold filled beads. Same design, but with a decidedly different mood and level of elegance. I can also see making the same design with some slightly pink tinted shell beads I own (as a substitute for endangered angel skin coral), as a stunning summer piece or item for the stepmom to wear in Florida.

I like this book as well as the others in the series and would recommend it highly to anyone who either wants to learn this stitch or already loves it. This one is right up there with my Carol Wilcox Wells books - must haves for anyone who wants to move beyond stringing and into beadweaving, for either structural or jewery purposes.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Kathy N-V - RCB

Book Review: Beading With Right Angle Weave