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New here!

3249 views 11 replies Latest reply: May 5, 2011 at 6:27:46 PM

Member since:
May 3, 2011
Posts: 6

Charm2bsure message #1
New here!
May 3, 2011 at 10:53:28 AM

Just found this group today! Looks like it's going to be a lot of fun getting to know the program and the great folks who comprise the forum.

I've been beading for about 10 years now. I also got into wire wrapping, stringing, beadweaving and just about any other bead method that I could find. Now I'd like to learn more about making my own patterns. I think I've found just the right place to do that. Cheesy

Betty

Betty Leeper
http://bettysbeaderie.com
http://bettysbeaderie.etsy.com

Look at that smile! (Photo guaranteed unretouched)

Member since:
Jul 1, 2009
Posts: 4610

Stitchboard Admin message #2
Re: New here!
May 3, 2011 at 1:22:24 PM

Betty,

Hi, welcome...and thanks...it's so nice to know the PatternWizard will be useful to you!

Any suggestions or comments will be greatly appreciated.

Feel free to post pictures of your work...we always like to have drool material!

What got you started with beading? And do you enjoy some non-beading crafts, as well?

Melanie (known to the cat as "Rowr" or "Rowr Rowr") =^.^=

Melanie (cat slave and Official Feline Can Opener) =^.^=
~~~~~
I'm a beading, knitting and crochet addict. If that means I'm admitting I have a problem, then I admit to nothing. Please refrain from helping me.

Member since:
May 3, 2011
Posts: 6

Charm2bsure message #3
Re: New here!
May 3, 2011 at 3:44:50 PM

Thanks for the welcome! Hmmm, what got me started in beading... well, Carol Duval started it and my husband pretty much set a rocket on fire under me. Carol had a guest who was demoing a basic spiral. At that point I didn't have a single bead in my house. I was a quilter, after all. And I hated hand sewing. Who knew??? My husband and I had been married about a year at the time and he told me several times that he probably had some of whatever it was I had purchased already up in the attic. Finally I said, ok, show me. So he starts bringing down box after box of stuff until half of a double car garage had been covered. His parents had owned a combo bead shop/lapidary show in Huntington Beach, CA back in the mid 80's, and this was what was left after the store closed. We had everything from finished jewelry, to bags of pearls, to rock cutting/polishing machines - everything. I had an amazing amount of product, but nothing was cataloged, organized or identified in any way. So, first off I started stringing, making necklaces, earrings, bracelets and did mini shows at retirement facilities. Then came wire wrapping - my love - and eventually the seed beads whispered their magic and have been ordering me around ever since.

I love beading, I love the people I've met, the new experiences I've had. Before beading I had never heard of a bead retreat. Now I go to at least two, maybe three a year. Yup, I'm a happy beady/camper! Cheesy

Betty Leeper
http://bettysbeaderie.com
http://bettysbeaderie.etsy.com

Look at that smile! (Photo guaranteed unretouched)

Member since:
Jul 1, 2009
Posts: 4610

Stitchboard Admin message #4
Re: New here!
May 3, 2011 at 11:52:02 PM

Betty,

Carol Duvall is absolutely amazing! I was lucky enough to see a couple of segments she did on beading (sadly, there weren't a lot of them).

What a find with all of those bead shop and lapidary show items! What treasures you must have found!

Those bead retreats sure do sound like fun! Which ones have you attended? What kinds of things have you made?

Wow, with your husband's parents' former business having been in the bead/lapidary area, it sure sounds like you were meant to bead!

Melanie (known to the cat as "Rowr" or "Rowr Rowr") =^.^=

Member since:
May 3, 2011
Posts: 6

Charm2bsure message #5
Re: New here!
May 4, 2011 at 12:40:29 AM

I really miss Carol Duval. It's really mind blowing to realize just how many different crafts she presented in the lifetime of the show.

Right now I'm working on the bangle from the last Bead & Button mag. I'm in the process of enclosing the crystals. Whew! I don't know if I want to do another one or not!

Most of the things I've done in the past few years involve wire or jump rings. I also teach some projects too. I've taught at the Shreveport Bead Retreat for the past 3 years and I've taught at the Grapevine, TX Bead Renaissance Show for several years, too.

Bead retreats are Shreveport, LA, one that my bead society Wild West Bead Society organizes for members at Create-away Cottage in Collinsville, TX, and the Arkansas Bead Cave. I usually teach at that one, too. Much fun, great socializing, classes on a range of projects and food catered in. I think that's what I like best about retreats - no cooking/cleaning duties!

Not sure if I'm doing this right, but I'm uploading a picture of a seahorse that I made with wire.

Betty Leeper
http://bettysbeaderie.com
http://bettysbeaderie.etsy.com

Look at that smile! (Photo guaranteed unretouched)

Member since:
Jul 1, 2009
Posts: 4610

Stitchboard Admin message #6
Re: New here!
May 4, 2011 at 3:45:27 PM

Betty,

I love your seahorse! Absolutely gorgeous! If this is one of your own patterns, you should teach it, or at least sell it!

How on earth do you get wire to cooperate for you? I greatly admire anyone who can tame it! I had always wanted to work with beads and wire...had a nice collection of the Bobbe Anderson beaded flower books at one time...but I tried to make one small rose and finally had to admit defeat. The wire was so uncooperative. If it was thicker wire, it didn't stay in the right shape, if it was thinner wire, it shaped nicely, but constantly broke. That was when I made the decision to stop working with the stuff! It was too frustrating. At least with beads and thread, it was easy to make the beads do what I wanted them to do.

Those bead retreats...wow, what a fun time! I went on a couple of cross stitch retreats (before finding beads), and those were a blast, and it sounds like the bead retreats are just as great!

So what do you teach at them? Is your seahorse one of the workshops?

Carol Duvall...she's greatly missed here, too, sniff, sniff. Her craft sheets and most of what was up on HGTV now mostly seems to be gone, unfortunately. Sad

I wish she were still on. Both HGTV and DIY are sadly bereft of craft shows these days.

I'd love to see more of your beautiful work!

Melanie (known to the cat as "Rowr" or "Rowr Rowr") =^.^=

Member since:
May 3, 2011
Posts: 6

Charm2bsure message #7
Re: New here!
May 4, 2011 at 4:32:21 PM

The seahorse is not my own pattern. I've requested permission to teach it a couple of times but somehow the reply never comes back. But that's okay. I understand the technique and can use it for an alternate design. The technique is called the Spike Technique. The biggest problem is keeping the size of the loops even. I get into problems when I try to go too fast.

Mostly what I've taught is wire - Byzantine chain maille, European 4 in 1 chain maille, wrapped cabochons and a few findings. I've also taught some French beaded flower classes, too. On my website I've got a few pictures posted of some flowers that I've done. I used Dalene Kelly's book. An amazing number of patterns with great directions. I found that if I use the wire suggested in the project, especially size, I get really good results.

Last year at Bead Renaissance in Grapevine, TX this is the pendant that coordinated with the earrings I taught. The young lady who had designed the earrings that appeared in Bead & Button at that time was so gracious in allowing me to teach them. My students were really pleased, too!

Thanks again,

Betty Leeper
http://bettysbeaderie.com
http://bettysbeaderie.etsy.com

Look at that smile! (Photo guaranteed unretouched)

Member since:
Jul 1, 2009
Posts: 4610

Stitchboard Admin message #8
Re: New here!
May 4, 2011 at 11:32:49 PM

Betty,

Oh, wow, I wish you could get permission to teach the seahorse!

Dalene Kelly is a genius with beaded flowers! I used to belong to a group that mainly worked with the French technique (a little bit of Russian, too), and Dalene was one of the members. The designs those wonderful ladies made were so spectacular!

I'm not sure whose rose I tried...it may have been an older pattern. A Virginia Nathanson, perhaps? I had started with the recommended wire, but it was so uncooperative, I switched to a thinner gauge. For the most part, the thinner gauge worked well...it was just very prone to breakage. Sad

Nothing like getting partway through a petal and having the wire break!

Chain maille is sooooo gorgeous! The intricate patterns that can be accomplished are astounding! Have you seen the Renaissance Faire pieces some people sell? I had a painting with an outfit that I wanted in chain maille, and one guy wanted to make it for $700. I really, really thought about saving up that much...but then it would have been someone else making it! I wanted to be the one to make that outfit! (LOL, no, it's something I never got around to doing...the best-made plans of mice and women, right?! Grin

)

The pendant is stunning! I'd love to see the earrings...I probably have that issue of Bead & Button, though I often can't remember the projects a few months later. Sad

Your work is such an inspiration - thank you so much for sharing your photos!

Melanie (known to the cat as "Rowr" or "Rowr Rowr") =^.^=

Member since:
May 3, 2011
Posts: 6

Charm2bsure message #9
Re: New here!
May 5, 2011 at 8:11:34 AM

Seahorse - OMGoodness, I wish I could get permission, too. But, she's in Brasil and perhaps a bit of a language problem. So, I'll wait. But the Paisley earrings I did get permission to teach and it went over pretty well. Here's a picture of my favorite that I made.

This was in the Bead & Button issue April 2010. Since it was copper, it was easy (and cheap!) to get all the gauges I needed from Home Depot. They work up quickly and my students were able to complete their pair in the allotted class time. I really liked that!

I love chainmaille!! The thought of making an entire outfit with jump rings really boggles my mind. There is no way I would do one even for $1,000!! Just the time alone makes it cost prohibitive, not to mention the cost/time of making the bazillion jump rings you'd need. Yeah, I've got my limits - LOL!!

Betty

Betty Leeper
http://bettysbeaderie.com
http://bettysbeaderie.etsy.com

Member since:
Nov 24, 2009
Posts: 270

wizdmzchyld message #10
Re: New here!
May 5, 2011 at 11:59:14 AM

OH WOW! Makes me wish I wore jewelry.

Member since:
May 3, 2011
Posts: 6

Charm2bsure message #11
Re: New here!
May 5, 2011 at 12:10:36 PM

LOL!! Why forever not? Allergies? Babies? You know it's funny, before I started making my own jewelry, I had a few things, mostly inexpensive, plastic or base metal things that I'd swap out with my outfits.

Now though, boy howdy! I've got a jewelry armoire and there still isn't enough space for it all. I bead, I make jump rings for chain maille chains, I've done the French beaded flowers and beadweaving too. I just have to remind myself that after one or two repeats of a design, I probably won't make every color of the rainbow - so I don't feel the need to purchase every color/size available. Yup. that's what I tell myself!!

BTW, I love your screen name. Way cool!!

Betty Leeper
http://bettysbeaderie.com
http://bettysbeaderie.etsy.com

Look at that smile! (Photo guaranteed unretouched)

Member since:
Jul 1, 2009
Posts: 4610

Stitchboard Admin message #12
Re: New here!
May 5, 2011 at 6:27:46 PM

Betty,

Oh, wow, I can see why you're having trouble getting permission to teach the seahorse! I wish I could speak Spanish (oh, wait, is Brazil Portuguese?), to translate for you!

The Paisley earrings are spectacular, too! How cool to be able to get the wire from the Home Depot. There are definitely treasures to be found at the hardware store.

LOL, well, I don't know how the guy was going to make the outfit for "only" $700, but it was still a little bit too much for my budget. That was probably about 15 years ago. So maybe his price would be over $1000 now! He did make a lot of Renaissance Faire stuff, and maybe he was trying to offer a deal because he thought I might wear the outfit around the Faire. But it was still too much, and sans the satisfaction of doing the work, were the wire to cooperate, hee hee!

Guess there are some things that are better in theory than in reality.

LOL, jewelry is too addictive, isn't it?! And then what about those ideas that spark other ideas, and of course, several colorways later...sigh! Those little tiny beads are too hypnotic. It's like they have special powers...ROFL! "You will buy more of us...you will weave us together and make beautiful things...and then you will want more...buy beads...buy beads..." Grin

Melanie (known to the cat as "Rowr" or "Rowr Rowr") =^.^=

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