Felt jewelry made in the IBS workshop

Some of you know how very wonderful I think my iPod is. Well, add to that, knowing how to shoot snapshots with it! Thrilling! Writing and posting my blog on it is the best thing ever AND i can even share the pics. Wow!
So just now I was reviewing the snaps I shot this past weekend in the felt jewelry workshops i taught for the Indiana Bead Society. I'd be remiss if I didn't share them with you now.





Francie embellished her's a little more after class and brought it to the next session for us to see.





Nan purchased that dichroic glass focal bead at Heirloom Classics Jewelry & Beads. Shame on me that I cannot with certainty credit the beaded bangle on right.





Judy, HCJ&B store owner, skipped beading a beaded bead for her felt bangle, opting to embellish it with a focal bead. She liked the notion of a snug fit, afforded by the use of a magnetic closure. She promises to add a safety chain.











This is one of the best moments of the day ... when the labor- intense felt cane is cut into beads. It never gets old Katie.






Chris's color choices really paid off. I've heard it is a sin to covet your neighbors beads but.....





Again, shame on me, these few hours afterwards and I cannot recall whose finished necklace this is. Could it be Nadeen's? I recall she made her's stylishly long. Beautiful.





Kim made a simple and complex cane, simultaneously. While she could just always overachieve, this, in particular, was the result of felty happenstance.
It was a delightful time i had with this bead society. And, as I knew might happen, when I awoke back at home today, I do miss them.
A few members bought a Turbo Felting Board so I know they will continue. Kim wasn't able to join the felt bangle workshop but was there for the Complex Cane felt bead necklace. I'm sending her the (first and to date, only) instructional DVD so she too can create her own felt bangles.
If you need one too, call me. You know I can take credit cards over the phone now, right? It is a service I use through Paypal. Nancy Cain shared all the details with me when we were teaching at Bead & Button in June. I applied for it as soon as I could and appreciate being able to offer students the convenience of using their credit cards.
Better unpack and move on to the next great adventure. BTW, Indianapolis airport was my peak travel experience.

Beaders and woodturners

While settling into the guest room at Jan's ( chairwoman of Indiana Bead Society's education committee), I spotted a collection of woodturnings on the dresser. Among the collected pieces are a couple of Charlie's first turnings. Yet again a Beader married to a woodturner. I don't personally know fellow beadweaver Wendy Ellsworth, but, I DO know her husband is a turner. Recall reading about Anne and her husband Jim, the creative couple who put me up when i taught at Imagine in Bemus Point this past May? And of course there are Janet and her husband Bob, make up BoomerangPro crochet hooks and looms. And, of course there is Anne and her husband John and Irma and her husbandSteve. What is it with all these beaders falling in love with woodturners?
At our November bead blast expect to shop for beautiful turned vessels, pens, earrings ... Some are made especially to accommodate some beadwork.





Here are some examples: Bob's pens and Steve's earrings.

Final workshop with Indiana Bead Society

Today's final project for my teaching visit with Indiana Bead Society was Ostara's Emerging Blossom Necklace.





Becky and Francie worked theirs from a selection of their own beads.






With the pair of pods finished, time to move on to bezeling the Rivoli with polygon stitch.






Nancy worked with the kitted beads.






So did Donna Kay.






Kim spent a good deal of the weekend with me... From Thursday evening's welcome dinner with the education committee at Jan's, to this evening's dinner of fine italian fare.






Jan drove me into the city center to take in some sights before I town tomorrow.






The area surrounding the monument was buzzing with activity last night: motorcyclists, diners, night clubbers, and a horse drawn coach.






On our way through" town" we passed the "old library" with its brandy new addition. That part of the new building that connects the larger addition to the original building looks like an Apple store, doesn't it?






My tour concluded with a drive through a fabulous neighborhood of big beautiful homes on the way to the restaurant. Here is the one photo taken while the car was in motion that came out pretty good.
Tomorrow I fly back home. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPod

All day and evening with IBS

Do we look like we're having fun or what? Clockwise from 11:00 is Sue, a first-timer with the bead society and a self-professed non- artistic type, but, we'd have to argue with her about that; Kim, one of the education committee of IBS; Jackie, an avid beader and associate of the Heirloom Classics Beads and Jewelry; and Francie, also on education committee.


Francie was first to cut her hand felted complex cane into beads. We all held our breath.


Judy, Heirloom Classic owner, wife of Ed who you met in yesterday's posting, is shown cutting her cane into beads.


These might be Jackie's beads.


Chris was first to complete her necklace. Her gold and pewter, black and white palette was enhanced by her puffy cream colored resin and gray disc beads.


Nan chose a jet black faceted nugget bead and yellow round to string with her felt beads.


Kim ended up with two canes of beads, a simple and a complex cane, stringing beads from them alternately.


It was a day of mad hot feltmaking with a great payoff. Bonnie was the only person to leave without a completed necklace but, she had arrived with the intention of producing beads to adorn a garment she knit of her handspun.
It was a great day followed by a delicious meal at Santorini's and an evening class.
The evening class was my chance to share that stitch I devised that produces reversible beadwork...pleating as you work. They all enjoyed it and then we parted. Until tomorrow...
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More fun with IBS

Chris is a lampworker who tolerated"stitching tiny beads together with thread" in the morning workshop. In the afternoon project, Wired Felted Beaded Bracelet with Lampworked Bead, she was in her glory, incorporating her own focal bead. The snapshot sure doesn't show her piece in it's best light. It is slinky and snaky, winding up her wrist.











Peggy felted a second wire armature, to bead after class.







Francie used an abundance of drop beads in her surface decoration. Their pointy end nestles into the felt and emphasizes the dotted motif of the lampworked beads she used.
Tomorrow we will spend the day felting complex cane felt beads, finishing with completed necklaces.
Afterwards, Several of us will have dinner together at Santorini Greek Kitchenbefore the evening class: Two Sides To Every Story bracelet. I heard the seasoned white fish and grilled veggies are fabulous. Can't wait.
Striving for a full night's rest, off to bed now. Sweet dreams.
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Indiana Bead Society

Today I taught 2 half day workshops combining feltmaking and beading.



The morning session began with handfelting a bracelet. Then they beaded a couple inches of undulating peyote that serves as a beaded bead. The tapered ends of the felt meet inside the beaded bead. (Heather beading, with her felt in the foreground.)


Bev won her registration to the workshop in the bead challenge. As winner she gets to select the topic of the next challenge: steam punk.


Nan, an experienced feltmaker, has felted in workshops with Polly Stirling and Chad Alice Hagen. We are kindred spirits where color (among other things) is involved.



Ed ( at the counter) and Judy made the IBS and me feel welcome in their store: Heritage Classics Jewelry & Beads store. Posted using BlogPress from my iPod

Indiana Bead Society

This morning I arrived at the Albany NY airport with the luxury of time and opportunity to visit Departure, the gallery/shop featuring capital region artists. Berta Leone, herself a metalworker, when not tending the shop, and I struck up a conversation that came around to felt when I inquired if their delightful felt handbags are made by that women's collective in Nepal. She affirmed this and was quick to add that they feature area fiber artists such as Elsa Fletcher. She showed me these felt scarves by Elsa.



My flights were smooth and short and my hostess Jan Johnson picked me up at the beautiful and fairly new indianapolis airport. When I return at the end if my workshops, I'll have to allow time to take in the artwork there: impressive tile/mosaic, glass, and sculptural works I heard about at dinner with 4 of the 5 education committee of Indiana Bead Society. Left to right are Carol Marlin, Jan Johnson, Francie Broadie and Kim Sokolow. Francie collaborated with glass bead maker Camille Richard on a piece that is on it's way to Houston. It is one of the pieces in the Convergence exhibit that the International Society of Glass Beadmakers put together. Last year was their first exhibit of collaborations of beadmaker and beader. It was my honor and pleasure to be asked to be a juror for that show.


Carol is wearing a wonderful pair of earrings that I think she said Francie taught. Kim has fabulous earrings that I think she said she made to wear to a wedding that I snapped a quick shot of. Spiral stitch.


We stayed up wayyyy too late visiting after our delicious dinner. Everything is prepared for tomorrow's two felt jewelry workshops and I'll polish off this posting before turning in.
Sweet dreams. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPod

On October 23 come bead with me at Beads by Blanche.
We'll be beading Bezels for Swarovski stones and rivolis. I 'll bring many finished pieces as inspiration for ways to utilize these bead captured beauties, in ways that show that they are magnificent from every angle... Even from the back.





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Next weekend Indiana Bead Society

Next weekend Ill be teaching at the Indiana Bead Society. We'll fit 2 short but productive and adventurous workshops into one day; spend a day beading Ostara's Emerging Blossoms lariat; and a day creating complex canes of colorful wool, felting them until solid and fulling them until firm, cutting the cane into beads and stringing a necklace! A full and satisfying day. As a bonus, we're offering a deeply discounted workshop to registrants.


It is a reversible bracelet made using a stitch that i devised myself after years of exploring all the known stitches. It is based on the curious threadpath of [regrettably named] polygon stitch, that is: pass through beads, then add beads by passing under thread between beads. Once the first few rows are in place, the beadwork corrugates as you work. It is sort if magical how certain beads slide on top or beneath others.
Today I'm wearing one of my favorite complex cane felt bead necklaces.


-Looks like I'll be teaching the Complex Cane Felt Beads Necklace at the Bead and Button Show in June. After years of proposing various samples, it finally made it into the offerings. I've received some preliminary notice about classes they've chosen from my submitted proposals. I'll post more about all 8 or so classes when details firm up.
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Gallery sitting at Art Society of Kingston

Today is my first time ever gallery sitting. It is, as you can imagine, a lovely place to be. The first visitor just left. He is an abstract artist living in this area around 10 years. He seemed to enjoy the exhibit and took the paperwork for membership.
Art Society of Kingston (ASK) and I are discussing my offering workshops here. I'll let you know what comes of it. Nothing until December for certain.
Now let's see if I can post this from my iPod and then let's see if I can add the pictures I just took with it also. Wish me luck.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod

It was so satisfying to see so many projects concluded at the studio class this week. But before I share photos let me tell you about my new Ott light. Well, it is actually a story of 2 Ott lights. I bought a rechargeable model a couple weeks ago. It is heavy and the wire to recharge it weighs almost as much as the lamp. So, it isn't a lamp I will fly with. Bummer. I didn't return it because it is handy for the studio class and when I teach at Beadzo. The real drag is that it doesn't hold the charge beyond 3 hours. But, check out the cute one here. Janet found it at Jo-Ann's. It has 30 LED and takes 3 AAA batteries. Doesn't weigh anything. And for this month, if you buy it from their website, www.joann.com, it is 50% off for 4 pages of Ott products. Not among them is the one Pat just bought that runs either AC and DC, using wire or C batteries.
Janet's necklace is a dagger, seed bead and bicone crystal beauty based on spiral stitch. She promised to show Mary how she did it.
So, Mary bought up a few flavors of daggers at Beadfest so she could make one. She finished it this week using those peacock daggers we all love.
Jill (aka Jilly Beads) finished her Stick Pearl Slide Lariat from one of my kits. She made it long enough to wear in a lark's head knot like shown here, but we know she likes wearing them long.
Amy took a workshop at Beadfest in chain maille. She finished the pendant there and in the studio class finished the chain. Gorgeous.