Seed Beaders of the NW Bead Society

Two bracelets by Jennifer Porter

I had fun at the Seed Beaders' group of the NW Bead Society yesterday.  The topic of the day:   Freeform Peyote Seawead technique, taught by Jennifer Porter.

It's a very different take on sculptural or freeform peyote.  She starts with a base of standard peyote stitch in size 8 beads, 3/4 - 1" wide and however long you wanted for the project.  She works loose, arching bridges off of the surface, building them up in layers and twining them through each other until the base is completely obscured.

Brooches by Jennifer Porter

Here are several Jennifer's brooches. They remind me of roses, the way the seaweed ribbons circle around the center.

Brooch by Jennifer Porter

Above right, a brooch made from a satin covered button adorned with a freeform seaweed ribbon creates yet another look.

Beth McGowan works on a seaweed peyote brooch

 About half the group worked on the meetings topics.  I helped a couple of ladies build their peyote stitch base.  Then ended up working on a beaded bead, even though I'd stitched up a peyote stitched base ahead of time.  Just felt like I had too many irons in the fire at present, and decided to focus on finishing what I'd already started.

Upcoming Meeting Topics

Bead Embroidery by Georgia McMillan

February 27: Bead Embroidery by Georgia McMillan
Worked on a base of heavy-weight interfacing, Georgia's bead embroidered birds and 'Happy People' are too much fun.  The birds also have wire-worked feet, which will also be covered at the meeting.

Seadbeeders hard at work

March 27:  Advanced Viking Knit by Kathy Repp and Ann Wilkenson.  And for those of us who're completely new to the topic, several members have also offered to cover basic Viking knit. 

This is a huge group - I would guess upwards of 40-50 people at Sunday's meeting, with an incredible range of skills and knowledge!