Friday, September 10, 2010
New Beading Society South of Boston
It's going to happen. A group of around 30 women will be getting together on September 18 and creating a new bead society. We can't wait to get started. It'll be terrific. It'll be fun. There will be laughter. Supporting each other creatively, we'll share techniques and ideas. In the beading world, there's no much better than that. I'll keep you posted on activities as they develop!
Come September!
Not only is September here already, but we're nearly halfway through it! Where did summer go, you might ask? Well, for me it went to recovery from surgery in May, followed by getting back into the swing of work, followed by my first ever trip to BEAD FEST in Philadelphia! This was a fabulous experience. Have you been? Then you know! If you haven't....you must!
First of all, as a long-time quilter and attendee at many quilting shows and conferences, I'm used to crowded class rooms. This is NOT the case at Bead Fest. The class I was fortunate enough to take was in a large room and there were less than a dozen enrolled. How do they make any money on those types of enrollments? Each student had all the elbow room and teacher attention they could possibly need. I checked out other classrooms as well and found the same held true throughout.
In my class I made a woven bracelet. I can see where my errors are, of course, but those who've seen the bracelet since my return have oohed and ahhed over it and I have at least 2 orders for one. I want to practice a little more before making them for sale, but I will be doing that in the not too distant future. Plus, it's a lovely design and you can make one in a few hours, once you get proficient.
Meeting fellow beaders was terrific...so nice to know that I'm not alone in my obsession. While quilters are creative, I truly believe beaders are one step beyond creative. I left inspired, to say the least.
And now, to think of the vendors....it was like a dream come true. Two entire floors of every vendor you could imagine. Of course all the big names were there...Beadalon, etc. But there were also terrific small booths. I had a shopping list I was trying to adhere to and for the most part I did well. My, my the damage I could have done! My best buy was on wire. There's a guy in PA who doesn't sell online but you can do phone orders. His booth was very busy. I bought rose gold, argentium, sterling silver, and gold filled wire. I bought half round. I bought square. I bought 18 g and I bought 26 gauge. And the more you buy the bigger a discount you get on your total order. FAB!!
The Whole Bead Show is coming up in Providence, RI in less than a month. Of course I'm going to go. Of course I'm going to spend $. Of course it will be exciting. But it won't compare to Bead Fest. Try to put it on your calendar for next year. There are a couple of shows a year in various locations. Don't miss it!
Happy beading,
TBH
First of all, as a long-time quilter and attendee at many quilting shows and conferences, I'm used to crowded class rooms. This is NOT the case at Bead Fest. The class I was fortunate enough to take was in a large room and there were less than a dozen enrolled. How do they make any money on those types of enrollments? Each student had all the elbow room and teacher attention they could possibly need. I checked out other classrooms as well and found the same held true throughout.
In my class I made a woven bracelet. I can see where my errors are, of course, but those who've seen the bracelet since my return have oohed and ahhed over it and I have at least 2 orders for one. I want to practice a little more before making them for sale, but I will be doing that in the not too distant future. Plus, it's a lovely design and you can make one in a few hours, once you get proficient.
Meeting fellow beaders was terrific...so nice to know that I'm not alone in my obsession. While quilters are creative, I truly believe beaders are one step beyond creative. I left inspired, to say the least.
And now, to think of the vendors....it was like a dream come true. Two entire floors of every vendor you could imagine. Of course all the big names were there...Beadalon, etc. But there were also terrific small booths. I had a shopping list I was trying to adhere to and for the most part I did well. My, my the damage I could have done! My best buy was on wire. There's a guy in PA who doesn't sell online but you can do phone orders. His booth was very busy. I bought rose gold, argentium, sterling silver, and gold filled wire. I bought half round. I bought square. I bought 18 g and I bought 26 gauge. And the more you buy the bigger a discount you get on your total order. FAB!!
The Whole Bead Show is coming up in Providence, RI in less than a month. Of course I'm going to go. Of course I'm going to spend $. Of course it will be exciting. But it won't compare to Bead Fest. Try to put it on your calendar for next year. There are a couple of shows a year in various locations. Don't miss it!
Happy beading,
TBH
Monday, August 9, 2010
Bead Society of the South Shore
Today is Monday, August 9, and we are having an information meeting at Gemorama in Hanover, MA for anyone who would like to learn more about the Bead Society. It's very exciting...we've got some creative people just waiting to get started, learn new techniques, share what they already know, and just basically get together and play. The meeting schedule is the 3rd Sat of the month starting September 19.
There will probably be a membership limit because of the size of the meeting space, so if you are interested in joining, let me know.
BTW, did you do any beading this weekend? I'm happy to say I did! While watching the Red Sox get beaten up by the Yankees (sigh) I worked on a sterling silver bracelet I started last weekend. It has alternating plain and twisted links, three sizes of tahitian pearls in different settings (bead caps on both ends of one size, set with a crystal from my wedding dress for the smallest size, and wrapped in a thing sterling silver wire for the largest size. I made sterling wire coils and spirals and added "love," "hope," etc. charms. I also started to make some tubular peyote embellished beads, but only got 2 done and would like to have about 10 of them dangling from the bracelet. THAT will take some time to finish.
I also started a square stitch base for a loop bracelet...well, I'm not sure that's what they are called, but that's what I call them. You make the square stitched base and then embellish each bead with a variety of sizes and textures of beads in a loop. I think there's a picture of one of these types of bracelets in one of the tutorials on the Fire Mountain Gems website (may not be there anymore). A friend made one for me before I was really back into beading, and I would like a couple more in different color schemes. They are a little labor intensive to make, but they pack a punch and are definitely worth it. I'll try to add a pic to the blog when it's finished.
Happy beading,
TBH
There will probably be a membership limit because of the size of the meeting space, so if you are interested in joining, let me know.
BTW, did you do any beading this weekend? I'm happy to say I did! While watching the Red Sox get beaten up by the Yankees (sigh) I worked on a sterling silver bracelet I started last weekend. It has alternating plain and twisted links, three sizes of tahitian pearls in different settings (bead caps on both ends of one size, set with a crystal from my wedding dress for the smallest size, and wrapped in a thing sterling silver wire for the largest size. I made sterling wire coils and spirals and added "love," "hope," etc. charms. I also started to make some tubular peyote embellished beads, but only got 2 done and would like to have about 10 of them dangling from the bracelet. THAT will take some time to finish.
I also started a square stitch base for a loop bracelet...well, I'm not sure that's what they are called, but that's what I call them. You make the square stitched base and then embellish each bead with a variety of sizes and textures of beads in a loop. I think there's a picture of one of these types of bracelets in one of the tutorials on the Fire Mountain Gems website (may not be there anymore). A friend made one for me before I was really back into beading, and I would like a couple more in different color schemes. They are a little labor intensive to make, but they pack a punch and are definitely worth it. I'll try to add a pic to the blog when it's finished.
Happy beading,
TBH
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
The Beadin' Path
So, I was in the bootiful state of Maine on Sunday and we went to Freeport on the way home to visit The Beadin' Path. It's a lovely store and if you're ever in the area you need to make sure you stop by!! Of course, they also have an online store and you can browse their pages just chock full of lovely toys!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Pflora Beads!
By the way, I meant to say that the other day I stopped by a new bead store in the area south of Boston. Pflora Beads is located at 355 Turnpike in Canton, MA. It's a lovely shop...if you're in the area be sure to stop by. Phyllis Flora, the proprietor, has a wide array of wonderful stuff, ranging from funky to functional, and everything in between, a good selection of reference books, and everything is very artfully displayed (for example, lovely, large cabs are nestled in a shallow, rice-filled bowl). If you stop by, tell them you read about their shop on The Beaded Heart's blog!
"farfalle" beads
It's July. It's hot. And humid. But I now have central AC at home, so my two favorite hobbies, beading and quilting, are consuming me this summer season. Now that I feel my health is recovered, I can't wait to get my hands on beads and fabric...and sometimes spend so much time deciding which to play with, I don't get anything done! I'm sure you've never experienced anything like that!
In early May I went to a local bead show and one of the vendors had a type of seed bead I'd never seen before. At least, I think it would qualify in the seed bead category as it's small, comes in a container like seed beads do, and comes in lots of fabulous colors. The shape is similar to farfalle (or bowtie) pasta, except instead of being flared on the ends, they are rounded. Perhaps a description like a dog bone would be better. The hole is in the center and when you sew these together in a stitch like peyote, they nestle up to each other and form a lovely, dimensional, piece. I made a simple peyote cuff bracelet about an inch wide using sage green beads. It's simple, yet remarkable elegant. It could work dressed up or down. If you come across these funny little shaped beads, I highly recommend them. The look is definitely not run-of-the-mill.
TBH
In early May I went to a local bead show and one of the vendors had a type of seed bead I'd never seen before. At least, I think it would qualify in the seed bead category as it's small, comes in a container like seed beads do, and comes in lots of fabulous colors. The shape is similar to farfalle (or bowtie) pasta, except instead of being flared on the ends, they are rounded. Perhaps a description like a dog bone would be better. The hole is in the center and when you sew these together in a stitch like peyote, they nestle up to each other and form a lovely, dimensional, piece. I made a simple peyote cuff bracelet about an inch wide using sage green beads. It's simple, yet remarkable elegant. It could work dressed up or down. If you come across these funny little shaped beads, I highly recommend them. The look is definitely not run-of-the-mill.
TBH
Monday, July 12, 2010
The Long Road Back
Over the last six months I've had the poor luck of having a series of medical procedures. I'm hoping that now I'm actually OVER it and can resume my normal activities. To quote the notorious BP oil exec Tony Hayward, "I want my life back!"
Part of that process involves getting the Bead Society of the South Shore (Boston) rolling this fall. To that end, I'll be at Gemorama in Hanover, MA on August 9 from 6-8 p.m. hosting an information session. The owners of Gemorama have been very supportive of this idea and are offering their upstairs loft classroom free of charge for our meetings. Hooray!!
More info to come :=))
Part of that process involves getting the Bead Society of the South Shore (Boston) rolling this fall. To that end, I'll be at Gemorama in Hanover, MA on August 9 from 6-8 p.m. hosting an information session. The owners of Gemorama have been very supportive of this idea and are offering their upstairs loft classroom free of charge for our meetings. Hooray!!
More info to come :=))
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