Contemporary

Geometric
Beadwork

Kate McKinnon
Volume I
2011 2012

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Contemporary Geometric Beadwork is an exciting new book

that is breaking ground in ways that go far beyond the spectacular
new work it showcases.

This book is 100% artist-produced; made by beaders for beaders. Its

small enough to carry around (6 x 9) and spiral bound for convenience
(because after all, this is a workbook) and sports 240 pages of glittering
photographs in which every bead can be seen, counted, and understood in
the structure. As a side benefit of making the book ourselves, we were able
to locally produce it, including printing and binding in the USA.
CGB was an open project. From the beginning, we photographed our
pieces and posted our ideas on our web sites and Facebook page, and we
invited the beaders of the world to work along with us. In that manner,
we were able to include our readers in the pages of the finished book,
and not only are their beautiful interpretations featured throughout, but
many of them joined our Team, and helped read and edit the pages, think
through our diagrams, and take our work further.
The book was built to support bead and book shops, and bead societies.
It will not be sold in single copies at wholesale prices on Amazon for less
than it costs a shop to buy and ship a copy. We wanted to make a book for
beaders, to celebrate beading, not to sell a hundred thousand copies. Shops
can carry this book without fear that their customers can go online and
find it for half-price.
The only place to get this book is from the people who made it, order it
from Helby, or find it at your local shop. Each copy comes individually
shrink-wrapped, with a signature plate, to maintain a bit of mystery and
keep the copies nice and clean. Bead societies and bead stores who carry
it get a free display copy for their shop or lending library.

Above: an illustration of a Simple

Flat Square, from our Basics section.
Upper right: Double Rick-Rack
Bangle on our magnificent Zigged
MRAW Bellyband, beadwork by
Ann Rishell.
Bottom right: Kate McKinnons
Mermaid Cuff in the process of
moving from Wings to Horns.
Below: a Flat Peyote Triangle,
by Kate McKinnon, an example
of our every-bead-in-focus
photography.

The book retails for $40 and frankly its worth every penny. We explain
the price by reminding people that its about the same cost as a half-day
class, but it contains decades of work, thought, and instruction. Our book
is not only suitable but engaging for all skill levels, beginner to extremely
advanced. CGB is the new must-have book for every beaders shelf.

Find us at www.ContemporaryGeometricBeadwork.com and

www.katemckinnon.com and email us at CGB@katemckinnon.com.

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Opposite, top: a Fortuneteller Bangle by

Kat Oliva.
Opposite, bottom: the breakthrough
Eves Thorns cuff by Gabriella van Diepen,
photo by Jeroen Medema.
Right: Pink Pinstripe Ruffle Cuff, made
by Cate Jones. Photo by Cate.
Below: DoubleCone Ring by Charlotte
Aziz, photo by Charlotte.
Colour! What a deep and
mysterious language, the
language of dreams.

Bottom: Fortuneteller Bangle, by

Christina Porter, photo by Christina.

Paul Gauguin

Space has always been the spiritual

dimension of architecture.
It is not the physical statement of
the structure so much as what it
contains that moves us.
Arthur Erickson

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This stunning book showcases timeless stitches and forms from the ancient art of
sewn beadwork, and presents them in springing leaps of shape and structure that will
remind you of flowers, cathedrals, spaceships, and contemporary architecture.
From the points of the Wings and Horns to the folding flowers of the Fortuneteller
Bangles, these innovative (and quite wearable) structures will delight and engage you.

Step through the door,
and fall in love.

A little book with huge ideas,

CGB was built with the love and
creative spark of thousands
of beaders worldwide.

Contemporary Geometric Beadwork, Volume I
Kate McKinnon
www.katemckinnon.com
Christina Vandervlist
www.spiritbead.net
www.ContemporaryGeometricBeadwork.com
Printed and Bound in the USA & 100% Artist-Produced
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