Friday, December 1, 2017

Beading in Belgium

Yes, here I am - slow at posting again. It's now time to think about the holidays and that's a really busy time at my house.


I know that many quilters also have an interest in beading and I met the nicest lady via the internet who taught herself to do exquisite beading in Belgium. Let me introduce Renata. Her artistry and determination to be successful are inspiring. She has not one, but three Etsy shops where you can see her work and find out more about her.
Seadbeady
SeadbeadyBridesJewel 
and also a shop with her paintings
SeadbeadyArt

As Renata explains: Art and music have always been a large part of my life since I was a child. I took drawing lessons and sang and later on I learned to play the piano. Up until 2007 when I had to stop it all, because of severe problems with my back and joints. My cartilage is of very poor quality and as a result I have had several surgeries. Singing in a choir or band was no longer an option, because it got to be to painful. I needed to find another occupation or hobby to keep my mind of the pain.

That way I came to the idea of starting to make my own jewelry. The question was how to start. Internet has no secrets for me so I started searching diligently on the web and taught myself how to make jewelry. In the beginning they were very simple necklaces by just stringing beads on a wire.
Giving up was not an option and I went on a search for more intricate beadwork that I would be able to make. Not just something I could shake out of my sleeve. So I discovered the magazine Bead&Button, which contained a lot of special beadwork. I bought the book Creative Beading, which was a compilation of all the stuff they had published in their magazines throughout the past year. That way I learned a lot of different techniques and got inspired to make my own designs.

Nowadays practically all of my spare time goes to beading and designing jewelry. Everything in my shop is made by myself. A lot of those pieces require a lot of technique and 3 or more days to make. But I just love making special jewelry, original and unique pieces of art.

This beautiful beaded box really caught my eye. Can you imagine all the hours that went into making it?

She also shows pictures of her works in progress. It's amazing!

Working on a new Bargello necklace in Rose gold white and ivory with Swarovski crystal 

As for me, I'll try to be back online soon to post again. Perhaps I'll focus on my progress at decorating the house. I have one Christmas item on display so far and yes, it's a Christmas quilt! Most of it is the result of a block exchange with the guild that I belong to. I had it on display one year at the South Carolina State Fair so perhaps I'll find a picture of it to share.

Happy "Get Ready for the Holidays" Everyone!
 




Monday, September 18, 2017

2017 Quilts

I can't believe it has been so long since I posted here! I'm still quilting and here are some things I made earlier this year. The first one is a quilt top made for Quilts of Valor. I've wanted to do this for a long time. The white stars are actually the same size. I didn't have a place to hang it so you could see it that way.


Next is a quilt that I made for my younger granddaughter. Yes, I was very slow at getting this one completed. She got it when she turned 8 months old. It's special because she has an older sister and the pattern is called "Sisters Forever". I had some fabric that showed 2 sisters together in a variety of poses (likely the print design comes from a vintage sewing pattern). It's larger than what I would normally have made as a baby quilt, but with the odd layout of the blocks, I didn't want to try to adjust the size.


I also made a tied blanket with fleece fabric for one of my triplet grandsons. I'll look back to find a picture of it to add later.

We had a big family gathering here for the week of the solar eclipse. We had a total solar eclipse here and it was fantastic! A special time because we all live in different states and don't get the chance to be together very often.

That wraps up most of my news! I'll certainly post something sooner next time. I hope everyone had a good summer.