One of my favorite hobbies is jewelry design in bead weaving. Something about the repetitive motion of weaving is very calming & meditative. I get in a zone and just keep going. I guess it is like stimming; self soothing. Good thing it is relaxing because usually one piece can take many hours over days and sometimes weeks to complete, working with so many tiny beads. Beading for me, like most things, is all about numbers. I find number combinations in everything. There is usually a pattern to be found and then it is a matter of counting once you figure out the number pattern. I like to look at a bead weaving stitch and work it like a puzzle. I love to figure things out; stitches, puzzles, Sudoku, recipes, brain teasers, formulas. I also love the feel of a bead woven piece in my hands - the beads are mostly smooth and cool, a larger piece is flexible and somehow comforting. To create something from a vision in your mind and to have it work out and look as imagined, is so rewarding. I’ve never taken a bead weaving class, and never will; I don’t want to pick up anyone else’s influence in my work. So I enjoy the journey, learn from my mistakes, and try new things as patience allows.
I’ve tried creating many types of jewelry, have done plenty
of stringing & wire work and enjoy it, but my heart is more into the design
of truly one-of-a-kind, complicated, and asymmetrical jewelry designs in bead weaving and bead embroidery. I find
when designing jewelry I rarely like things to be symmetrical. Many designers
say a piece must have balance, I on the other hand love to push for something
that can be attractive & cool but still not run of the mill with both sides
being uneven and different. The rebel in me wants to break the rules.
I sell my work via my jewelry blog & direct contact, I've been published in a beading magazine, won & placed in contests, and stayed true to my creativity, which is my main goal. My necklace Blue (pictured below) made it to the front page of Etsy France. I
also do jewelry repair, jewelry replacement, custom work, been invited to
submit work to magazines & publishers, been invited to gift at the ESPY's, have been asked to be a bead ambassador
for a commercial bead company,
and will begin a new journey in creating my own beads and cabochons soon.
I am currently working on an asymmetrical necklace for one of my beading
groups that does a monthly challenge. The theme is "Am I Blue". Ironically blue is not one of my favorite colors, but it seems I have done more jewelry in blues than any other color. I’m done embroidering and weaving and am now just sewing it together. I wove 4 different parts – 2 straps, 1
embroidered piece and a bezeled crystal. I am so close to being finished. So far it has taken at least 8 hours. Once
finished, I will welcome the break. This is the first piece I’ll have completed
in a year. I took some time off to buy a house, move, paint, adopt 2 rescue dogs, relax, and enjoy our home &
yard. I will post my completed piece when all is done. Pictured here are other
pieces of mine.
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