NW Bead Society's 2015 Seedbeaders Meeting Schedule

 If you are a beader living anywhere around the Puget Sound, then you should definitely check out the Northwest Bead Society.  And if you're like me and love seed beads, then you definitely need to check out the Seedbeaders' group.  This includes anyone who might be visiting the area.  If your trip coincides with one of the meetings, consider dropping by;  guests are always welcome! 

To make it easier to visit, I'm including the schedule for upcoming Seedbeaders Programs through early February 16th.  Each meeting, one of our members agrees to host a mini-tutorial, sharing a project or technique.  Everyone's welcome to work on the project of the month, or bring your own project (or simply visit with everyone else).  We meet from 10:30-3:00 on the fourth Sunday of the month.  Supply lists are generally posted to the Yahoo group (search for 'seedbeaders') about a month before each tutorial. 

2015-2016 Schedule

May 24 2015  Jennifer Brown - Mosaic Bracelet
Note: This is Memorial Day Weekend - the meeting cannot be moved to May 17 due to the NWBS retreat.  This meeting may be moved to May 31.

June 28, 2015 Karen Williams - Flame Pendant or Earrings

July 26, 2015 Jennifer Brown - Tila Patchwork Bracelet

August 23, 2015 Vivian E. - Birds of a Feather 

September 27, 2015 Marla Baer-Peckham - Holiday Bell Earrings

October 25, 2015 Debby Zook - Twin Bead Snowflakes

January 24, 2016 Marla Baer-Peckham - Zig-Zag Peyote Earrings


February 28, 2016 Jennifer Brown - Super Duo Triangle Earrings (no photo available right now)


There's something powerful about beading in the company of friends.  Personally, I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of a group like the Seedbeader's.  Their camaraderie, inspiration and support is fantastic.  

One caveat regarding the schedule - since scheduled workshops may change due to all sorts of circumstances beyond anyone's control, it's a good idea to join the Yahoo groups if you are hoping/planning to attend.  That way you'll get the most up-to-date info.

2013 Seedbeaders' Schedule

I started working on this post back in December, but somehow it keeps getting lodged in my Drafts folder.  Likely because I'd hoped to get photos of -ALL- the project samples first.   Well, now we're a third of the way through the year, Seedbeader's was just this past Sunday and I think it's about time I shared what all is coming up over the next few months.  

As a reminder, we meet at the Maplewood Rock & Gem Club in Edmonds, WA and guests are always welcome. Learn a new skill, bring your own project(s) or even just come and hang out, the choice is yours.  So if you happen to be in the area on the fourth Sunday of the month....

my Kongo-gumi on the go

Kumihimo and Kongo-gumi

This month, Shelly Gillmann shared a spectacular lesson in Kumihimo.  Besides making up nearly fifty kits with cording, beads and Kumihimo discs, Shelly had so many wonderful samples (of which I just realized I didn't get any pictures), fantastic hands-on demos and lectures accompanied by detailed notes which included a link list, which she said I could share with y'all.  Thank you so much Shelly for putting this together!

This is a technique I've meant to check out for a while, so I was thrilled.  My disc has become my travel companion the past couple of days - I get some really fun looks when I work with it on the bus. 

Upcoming Meetings

Embellished Cuff by Marla Baer-Peckham

5/19/13 Embellished Peyote Cuff

Marla Baer-Peckham

[scheduled on 3rd Sunday to avoid conflict with following Memorial Weekend]

6/23/13 Zulu Square Tube (no photo available)

Ann Wilkinson

Jellyfish Pendant by Jennifer Porter

7/28/13 Jellyfish Pendant

Jennifer Porter

Square Stitch Bracelets by Donna Galstad

8/25/13 Square Stitch Bracelet

Donna Galstad

Slider Bead by Julie Dubois

9/22/13 Slider Bead

Julie Dubois

10/20/13    Flat Spiral (no photo available)

Shirley Pauls

[scheduled on 3rd Sunday to avoid conflict with following NWBS Retreat weekend]

12/8/13 Holiday/Planning (2nd weekend of December)

                        decide following year's programs, gift exchange, challenge reveal, bead swap game

1/26/14 Peyote & Crystal Row Bracelet (no photo available)

Ellen Lambright

Snowflake Pendant by Julie Dubois

2/23/14 Snowflake Pendant

Julie Dubois

Beaded Baubles by Debby Zook

3/23/14 Beaded Bauble

Debby Zook

4/27/14 Byzantine Chain

Theresa Cleary

Inspiration Central - the Seedbeaders' Holiday party

For the first time since summer, I managed to sneak away for the day on Sunday for the monthly NW Seed Beaders meeting.  They are such an incredible group and I was reminded of just how much I had missed them this past fall! 

The December meeting is always jam packed with activity and happenings with a gift exchange, a bead swap game and program planning for the next year or so.  Shelly, our fearless leader, had asked me to take photographs of the Show and Share, Challenge and Future program entries.  I'm going to hold off on sharing the Future program entries because they're still working on the schedule, but I will happily share photos of some of the rest.

Challenge Necklace by Shelly Gillmann

As we set up, Shelly asked if I could photograph her challenge necklace, which had taken third at the NW Bead Society's fall retreat.  She'd made the necklace for a family member, but wanted documentation before she sent it on it's way as it was the most complex piece she'd created to date.  I love all the little details and tried to get a number of closeups.  Hope she likes the pictures!

'Five Years of Challenges' freeform beaded necklace by Patricia Hardway

Patricia Hardway's gorgeous holiday necklace is the culmination of five separate years worth of challenges.  I love that she included a printed list of all the years' challenges and all the stitches she'd incorporated into the piece.  It looks like a party to me, with the little splashes of color reminding me of confetti. 

Jellyfish pendant by Jennifer Porter

I fell in love with Jennifer Porter's jellyfish pendant as soon as she walked in the door and I saw her wearing it.   Photographing it posed several challenges - I had to borrow a display rod from one of the other ladies who'd brought items for sale so that I could hang the pendant in my photo boot as it simply didn't look right laying flat against a surface.  And once I had the pendant in my hands, I really, really didn't want to give it back.  The fact that I did made me feel very, very virtuous. 

I photographed this one while it was on the Show and Share table, but it may also be a program topic in 2013.  I'll let you know if it is! 

Ann Wilkinson's Zulu Square Stitch Collar

I love the subtle richness of Ann's collar.  The interplay of warm and cool tones of the rich chestnuts with the cooler olivey-brown tones pairs beautifully with the slow spiral design.  This piece looks and feels substantial.  I'm also always fascinated by how other's end their spirals, so I tried to get closeups of her closure.  She used metal caps shaped like flowers and stitched her beadwork into them; the pictures of that didn't come out quite as clear as I'd hoped.

To cap off this post, here's Georgia McMillan's entry into this year's challenge.  All entrants were given a baggie of common household items and were told to recycle or upcycle them into something:

Georgia McMillan's Recycled Christmas collection

 

And once I have the 2013 Schedule, I'll post it along with whatever photos I have of the actual projects/techniques. 

Whole Lotta Beading Going On This Weekend

If you're in or around the Seattle/Lynnwood area this weekend, then I cordially invite and indeed urge you to check out the Northwest Bead Society's annual Bead Bazaar.  For anyone who loves beads, this is definitely a "gotta go" sort of thing.  There's a great line up of vendors, including a booth for the Fire and Rain Society - I spent a lot of time drooling there last year.  And came away with a number of spectacular treasures, even if my pockets were a bit to let.  There is an admission fee of $6.00, but it's for both days and goes to help support the Bead Society.

And then there's the lecture schedule!  Once you're in the door the lectures are free and run 50 minutes.  Look at the line up: 

Saturday

Pendant by Linda Larsen

12:00 - 12:50 Riveting
Linda Larsen 
Learn how to attach a stone or glass bead without soldering.

1:00 - 1:50 Cold Connections and Fold Forming
Juan Reyes     
Create a simple clasp & transform a flat sheet of metal into a 3D object.

2:00 - 2:50 Little/Big
Lynne Magie   
Using small beads to showcase the beautiful art bead you just purchased.

3:00 - 3:50 Polymer Clay Color Transfers
Sarah Wilbanks  
Polymer Clay Color Transfers for beads and pendants

Sunday

12:00 -12:50 Viking Knit
Kathy Repp     
Basic & Advanced techniques - from simple chains to variegated, stripes and inclusions

Seedling Hinged Bracelet by Marlo Miyashiro

1:00 - 1:50 Improving your Small Object Photography for Internet Images
Marlo Miyashiro
Marlo gave this lecture at the School House Craft conference I attended last weekend and I HIGHLY recommend it!  She has some great insights and is an awesome source of knowledge. 

2:00 - 2:50 Going Rogue with Free Form Beading
Karen Williams
Ever wonder what's involved in freeform bead weaving, or how to start without a specific stitch count or pattern?  Karen shares a look into her process from start to finish in creating original, organic designs.

(Since it's my blog, I shared my description instead of their summation.)

And if you're not tired out from the lectures and the shopping, there's also a series of "informal demos" on both days.  They may be informal, but on Sunday I'm scheduled to talk about:

11:00-12:00, Peyote and Right Angle Seedbead Weaving
Back to basics here - just the basic stitches, can you believe it?     

12:15-1:15 3D Sculptural Seedbead Weaving
This will be a bit of a trunk show, mostly.  I'm planning to bring a number of pieces, both completed and works in progress.

A Bevy of Beaded Baskets

Huichol Baskets by Debby Zook

Back in March, Debby Zook shared her beaded Huichol Baskets with the Seed Beaders.  I missed that meeting, but got to admire a number of the finished baskets last Sunday at the April meeting. 

Debby brought a total of twenty baskets, because as she put it, 'it's hard to stop at just one'. 

She made most of her baskets using size 11 seed beads, but she had several miniature beauties, made from sizes 15, 16 and 18 seed beads.  And in case you're wondering - size 15 seed beads are the smallest beads currently manufactured today, the 16s and 18s are vintage.  And they are teensy tiny! 

 Debby's miniatures, made with sizes 15, 16 & 18 seed beads

This one says "Easter" to me, basket by Debbie Zook

 

One more basket by Debby Zook

These two lovelies were made by Jennifer Brown

An asymmetrical basket by Bonnie Kroon

Low-sided basket by Bonnie Kroon

One last basket, also by Bonnie Kroon

Aren't they lovely?   For perspective, the largest of these baskets easily fits in the palm of my hand.  Most are about the size of a hummingbird's nest. 

Inspiration from Other Artists

borrowed paper and borrowed pens thanks Jane & Leah!

My inspiration comes from many, many different places - nature, color, the man-made world, and yes, other artists.  Here, I thought I'd share the notes I took during last month's Bead Society meeting.

 Kendra's talk offered lots of food for thought - as the slides flashed by, my hands sought to capture a few of the lovely pebbles in the flowing stream of ideas.  I was especially taken by the pieces from Convergence II, (I think that's the right exhibit) where the theme was making a piece of jewelry for a literary or historic figure.  Beaded eye patch anyone?

Lately, I've been spending a lot of time deciding just exactly how I'm going to use the lovely enameled poppies that Lynn Bowland sent my way a while back, almost obsessed you could say.  In my notes, you can see poppies emerging from waves of green, adorning a vase, even used as the focal for a jaunty flapper hat like one I saw in the slide show.

Wouldn't that be fun; to make a beaded flapper hat?  I wonder how you'd stiffen it to keep its shape but still keep it light and airy?  What if I just made a hair ornament instead?  Sitting there in the darkened room, the ideas started to flow.

sketches made during David Chatt's class at Penland, 2008

And while they were sparked by the images before me, many of my sketches pulled from themes I've visited time and again.  Like the vase, which reminded me of the sketches I'd made for some beaded vessels with voids back in 2008 while at Penland.  Which were originally inspired by a burl wood, turned bowl I saw in an exhibit at the airport while traveling. I look at these sketches, and I can clearly see the burl wood in the textures, though I'd plan to reinterpret it with beads.

It all circles around.

But the true gem from my notes above was a personal epiphany.  Simply the phrase "Personal area of patience".  People will look at my work and say, "I'd never have the patience".  And maybe they're right - I look at cross stitch and think the same.  I may admire cross stitch, but I could never make myself sit down and complete a project.  Because that's not where my personal area of patience lays.  My zen-place and my challenge place is in stitching together little beads into abstract paintings, which may masquerade as jewelry or sculpture depending upon the day.

So there's a bit of a rambling post, and a glimpse into my 'creative well', as Julia Cameron might say - from whence I draw my inspirations.

A Regifting Give Away

At last month's general meeting for the NW Bead Society, Kendra Bruno, Executive Director for the International Society of Glass Beadmakers gave a fun lecture combining a bit of the history of glass beadmaking, along with overviews of the past and present focuses of the ISGB itself, including a wonderful slide show of their two of their most recent traveling art exhibits. 


As part of her talk, she gave a way catalogs for both of the exhibits,  Trajectories focusing on the art of the glass bead and Convergence, which focused on contemporary jewelry design with glass beads.  These catalogs are gorgeous eye candy.  But the truth is, I already have a copy of both.  Oops! 

So I thought I'd pass them along so that someone else might enjoy them too. 

a sneak peak inside the Convergence catalog

two gorgeous pieces after my own heart from the Trajectories catalog

If you'd like a copy, let me know by leaving a comment.  I'll do a random drawing next Wednesday, May 16th. 

Ongoing Inspiration

Elaine's bracelet almost complete

I'm terribly behind with almost everything at the moment, including my blogging, having lost the better part of this past week to a series of migraine level headaches.  Now that I have a functioning brain again, it's time to play catch up!  

The monthly Seedbeader's meeting last Sunday was packed - everyone so happy to actually be able to make it out of their own driveways after the weird week of snow and ice and snow and well, you get it.  Debbie Johnson shared the pattern for a beautiful bangle bracelet made with seed beads, pearls and crystals.  She was incredibly well organized and a fantastic presenter.  

Jody McGrath's Treasure Pouch, taught by Mary Irvine

Despite the festive atmosphere, there was a bittersweet flavor to the day, as this was the first meeting without one of our long time members, Mary Irvine.  I regret that I had just barely begun to get to know Mary personally, but I know that she was a woman of incredible talent and energy.  She was so incredibly involved with the Bead Society, and I've heard with the local basketry guild as well.  In early October she was busy with the Bead Society's annual Bazaar (which is much bigger than the name might imply) and in late October she taught at the annual Beaders' Retreat.  Few there knew that she was feeling poorly.  In November, she was diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer and she was gone before Christmas.

Georgia McMillan's creations inspired by Mary's class

Her inspiration still remains, just listening to the women who knew her.  And more tangibly, in the pieces that have developed from the inspiration of her last class, making a beaded treasure pouch with waxed linen thread.  Many of the women who had taken her workshop brought their finished pieces to our December meeting.  Unfortunately, I was so busy photographing examples for upcoming meetings and the challenge entries, I didn't get a chance to photograph any of the pieces on the general display table before people packed up to go home.  

Georgia McMillan

This time around, I snapped shots of the works by two of our members, Georgia McMillan and Jody McGrath.  Jody's piece is a direct interpretation from the class, while Georgia McMillan combined Mary's inspiration with her own finger knotting techniques, using the class as an ongoing source of inspiration for an entire body of work.  

Georgia McMillan's finger knotting

And next month, Georgia will be sharing her finger knotting technique with the group focusing on the basic techniques - the knots, how to add beads, how to create the loop. 

Whole Lot of Beading Going on

If you're in the neighborhood, drop by the Northwest Bead Society's annual Bead Bazaar at the Lynnwood Convention Center running today and tomorrow.  For the price of a $5 ticket for the weekend, you have access to a whole room full of the best sorts of vendors and enough free demonstrations to fill anyone's brain capacity. 

Here's the list of formal demonstrations (pulled from their website & links added):

Dragon Egg by Dana Cassara

10:30-11:15 Riveting Madness - Dana Cassara
Flush, ball and the one hit wonder. Riveting is fun, easy and a great way to incorporate hand-made elements into your bead work. Dana Cassara, owner of Danaca Design Studio, will show you three simple ways to rivet sheet metal and will suggest a variety of options for incorporating found objects into rivet projects. Pretty much, if you can put a hole in it you can rivet it!

11:30-12:15 Whirling Dervishes - Transforming flat peyote stitch - Teresa Sullivan
Transform flat peyote stitch into curved, lush dangles that evoke Egyptian papyrus fronds, martini glasses, and even fireworks!  Kits for lush lariats with beautiful dangly beads are available.

12:30-1:15 Wire Cloth and JewelryMaking, a Fiber Artist's Perspective - Marilyn Moore
Marilyn has a fiber art background and uses her textile techniques to produce interesting and unusual jewelry. See some of the tricks that she has come up with to make some truly unique items.

1:30-2:15 Understanding Lampwork Beads - Kendra Bruno 
International Society of Glass Beadmakers Executive Director & Fire and Rain Member
Small enough to hold in the palm of your hand, beads have been a form of adornment for 40,000 years. For close to 4,000 of those years, they have been made in glass! From conception to craftsmanship, this ancient art form is mesmerizing, but how do you know what to look for when purchasing these small wonders? Understand the creative process and gain the insight needed to shop with confidence in distinguishing artist-made glass beads from others.

Random Right Angle Weave

2:30-3:15 Random Right Angle Weave - KarenWilliams (yours truly)
Random right angle weave creates an open lacework or netting with the organic feel of the natural world rather than man-made symmetry or precision. No two pieces are ever the same, nor are they supposed to be.

I've put together a little postcard instruction sheet on random right angle weave - I've included the front image here.  (Now if I could only get my printer to work correctly!)

Time of My Life pendant by Melissa Cable

3:30-4:15 Faux Bone - Melissa Cable
Learn to work with this exciting, man-made product that simulates the look and feel of ivory. Melissa Cable is the author of "Spotlight on Wire" and teaches at shop and shows nationally. You can also find her locally at Fusion Beads.

Sunday, October 9th

11:30-12:15 Bead Embroidery - Carol Perrenoud, Beadcats
Bead Embroidery seems quite easy and straight forward, but there are lots of tips and tricks that will make it more enjoyable. Carol
will show stitches and discuss beadwork on wearables and and non-wearables.

12:30-1:15 Making needle felt beads and wearable art - Cynthia Toops
Making needle felt beads and wearable art. - Needle felting is an immediate, simple way to transform plain wool roving into any form you can imagine. Cynthia has been making felt jewelry for more than 7 years and is a featured artist in Lark Books new publication 500 Felt Objects."

1:30-2:15 Poor Mans Rolling Mill - Melissa Cable
Learn the basics of working with this innovative material that is as flexible as wire, as functional as metal and has the ability to showcase color like beads. A book signing will follow demo and copies will be available for purchase.

2:30-3:15 Not Round Beads - Lynne Hull
Lynn Hull an accomplished metalsmith, and the metalsmithing and jewelry instructor at North Seattle Community Collage, will demonstrate how to make beads using the hydraulic press.


And if that's not enough, the Seedbeaders will be hosting informal demos and tips & techniques throughout the weekend.

But I won't be there tomorrow, because I'll be teaching my Freeform Peyote Ruffles at Fusion Beads. Not the best planning on my part - but it definitely insures my weekend will be bead-filled!

Coral Dancer, freeform peyote ruffles