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Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Book Review: Metal Jewelry in Bloom

 

Kalmbach Publishing sent me Metal Jewelry in Bloom by Melissa Cable to review. I was very intrigued to see how the subject was handled and not very certain this book was something I would use. If you've ever looked at my work, I don't really use a flower motif very often. And when I do, it's more an abstract version of a flower....not literal.

I will just give away the verdict first. I LOVE this book. I think I've read through it at least twice and thumbed it many more times than that in the two weeks I've had it. I will explain why in detail so you can decide if this is a book you want to add to your collection.

The intro explains how the quest to create flowers from sheet metal began. It's a very sweet story and I won't give the entire thing away, but Cable's quest to come up with a method to make any flower out of metal with a minimum of tools, without a saw, and easy enough for just about anyone was the result.
Chapter 1 covers flower fundamentals: tools and supplies (Cable separates these into two categories of necessary and nice to have, but not necessary.) Choosing petal count,

Determining petal shape, applying petal texture, adding petal edge dimension,

 

Embellishing the petal surface, forming the petal center, riveting, and adding color. Just listing what's contained in chapter 1 probably does not fully convey the treasure of information contained in these pages. Trust me, you will be amazed.

Chapter 2 covers how to create 15 different flowers with a variety of petal numbers and shapes.

Chapter 3 includes advanced techniques for flowers and foliage including crushed flowers like wisteria, tube flowers like fuchsia, various leaf, branch and vine techniques.

Chapter 4 contains projects for all those flowers you will be making. And BONUS, it includes working with leather and lots of info on working with faux bone...shaping, cutting, coloring, etc.

Chapter 4 also provides a two page spread of templates for flowers of 3-7 petals in six sizes ranging 3/4" to 2 1/4"

Whether you use flowers in your work or not, this book contains so much good info that you could apply to other sculptural shapes with a minimum of tools.

Until next time,

Jen Cameron

-Glass Addictions

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11 comments:

  1. Jess GreenFebruary 20, 2013 at 12:26 PM

    Oh my goodness I NEED this book!

    Straight in the Amazon basket :)

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  2. TesoriTrovatiFebruary 20, 2013 at 1:28 PM

    I have been anxiously awaiting this book. I love Miss Cable's work. And these flower shapes, with the promise of minimal tools, is what has me excited. Thanks for your great review! Enjoy the day. Erin

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  3. jessememanFebruary 20, 2013 at 2:09 PM

    I really want this book...I have been playing with metal flower shapes a lot lately, myself! Thanks for giving us a look!

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  4. AnonymousFebruary 20, 2013 at 4:06 PM

    I love flowers, second only to jewelry. This way I could combine both--heaven! I also want to grow some metal work skills and this sound like a fun way to do so. I want this book now, so thanks for the review!

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  5. SueBeadsFebruary 20, 2013 at 7:52 PM

    Oh yum! Looks like a great book!

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  6. AnonymousFebruary 20, 2013 at 9:11 PM

    Thanks to your great review, this book is definitely going on my wish list. I'm at a point right now where being frugal is a MUST but I love jewelry books and can easily be tempted to buy some book without really knowing what is inside. It's great to have a person whose opinion and work I respect recommend a book. Makes my decision easier. Thank you.

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  7. Jeanne @ Gems By Jeanne MarieFebruary 21, 2013 at 5:08 AM

    Definately going to make note of this book! My jewelry design continues to evolve. Sheet metal seems like a great companion to wirework. Thanks for the review!

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  8. MaryanneFebruary 21, 2013 at 7:55 AM

    Thanks for this review! I've been wondering if I wanted to buy this book since I'm trying to only buy books that I can use and find good info in. Sounds like I will be adding this to my library! I love making flowers out of all materials and the idea of making them out of metal without a lot of tools is fantastic!

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  9. sandi mFebruary 22, 2013 at 12:33 AM

    Thanks for this review. I will definitely add this to my book list. It looks like there's a wealth of information on techniques that can be used with other forms. I love that Melissa is so forward thinking and creative.

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  10. UnknownFebruary 22, 2013 at 9:32 AM

    Amazing review!!! I can see it holds much inspiration!

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  11. Melissa CableFebruary 22, 2013 at 1:52 PM

    Thanks for such a lovely review!! I am so glad you liked it and can't wait to start seeing what people come up with on their own using the templates. : )

    ReplyDelete

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