Beadwork (Shire Library)

Beadwork developed as a decorative craft in Europe in the middle ages. It was first used to enhance embroidery but in the seventeenth century, complete objects were made from beads, and soon every girl was expected to include it among her accomplishments. There was a decline in the popularity of beadwork during the eighteenth century but in the nineteenth century feminine crafts of all kinds assumed great importance and beadwork flourished. This book describes and illustrates the many different styles and types of work and the techniques that were employed - threading, stitching, bead crochet, bead knitting, loom beading, tambour beading and commercial beading. In all its forms, beadwork is a careful, skilful and often delicate art which is becoming increasingly appreciated.