2010 Theme: Expand Your Horizons

Our Members' Stories

We've set aside this page to let our members tell their own stories of how the Loose Bead Society has helped them expand their horizons - primarily with their craft, but also in their lives.

Kat Feldman This has been quite a year for me in the LBS. Not only am I the new VP-Special Events learning all about providing "special events" for the members and trying to cover the many varied interests of our group, but I have stretched myself artistically as well. I learned how to make an ordinary O ring into wearable art; Kumihimo braiding with beads; how to make hardware store wire into jewelry by pounding the heck out of it and twisting it every which way. (The pounding part is the BEST! I feel so much more relaxed after a good workout with my hammer, anvil and a piece of tie wire.) The Kumihimo (inspired from a book Lisa Phillips was kind enough to lend me) has lent itself to many sizes and types of beads. I learned how to incorporate a focal bead into a bracelet, and used cubes as the focal in one too. I managed to drive myself up the wall when I forgot where I left off and completely messed up my first project. Thanks to Dee Dee Galecki at The Beading Hearts Studio in Waukesha who got me back on track. I really enjoy doing all these techniques. And, if you haven't tried them, you should.
Annabelle Havlicek It was my very first meeting of the Loose Bead Society. It was June 14, the Monday after the Bead & Button Show and when I walked into the room at the New Berlin Public Library, I was overwhelmed with the attendance. Beadalon was giving a demonstration and I was lucky to get a seat. If I had been any later in my arrival, I would have been out of luck. I was shown to a table with 5 other women and given a great swag bag from Beadalon along with strict instructions Not To Open The Bag. Though I was tempted, I did obey. Wyatt from Beadalon, along with his other associates did a fabulous job of demonstrating their newest products. When he got to the bead bumpers, my interest really peaked. I love making stick pins, short ones, tall ones, stick pins of all kinds. I have recently been making them using flocked hearts of considerable size. The hearts themselves aren't heavy, but the hole is large and using a crimp bead or tube even preceded with a good sized bead doesn't always work. But I was betting that the bead bumpers would do the trick. Beadalon included a sample bag of 50 bead bumpers inside that fabulous swag bag so I was able to try them out right away, and that's exactly what I did. You can see by the picture that they worked fabulously. Not only do they keep everything in place, they are practically undetectable.
Nancy Langlas Bead porn encourages member to expand her horizons I'm "expanding my horizons" by doing more stitching. I've seen a lot of it in "bead porn" books and magazines. I re-learned square stitch. I'm expanding what I can do in peyote. I experimented with a spiral stitch. I took a class from Lynne Soto. I'm hung up on cubic square stitch. Hobbies can be evaluated on a cost-to-satisfaction ratio. Stitching doesn't cost that much and you can spend a lot of time at it. Stitching isn't messy and requires little in the way of tools. I'm planning on doing more of it! (Note: "Bead porn", like other "porn", has pictures and descriptions of things you'd like to do, or think about doing, but might never get around to doing.)
Lynn Larkins Lynn was a staunch non-stitcher... until the Spiral hands-on program we had in November. She stitched this tray of necklaces and bracelets in the next month (plus one that she wore to the December meeting)! Methinks we may have created a monster!
Traci Otte Within just 7 months of joining the Loose Bead Society, I not only have expanded my horizons by becoming the Website Coordinator but also have started bead stitching! I have made jewelry for over 15 years and have dabbled in polymer clay and silver clay, but I thought that stitching was too difficult. Hanging out with the LBS members and seeing the amazing things they've done has given me the courage to take needle in hand and see what I can come up with. There has been a lot of hand-holding (thanks, Kathy, Cindy, and Susan!) and a lot of whining (yeah, mostly from me), but I've done it! This picture shows my first finished project - a black and white tubular herringbone necklace made specifically for this blouse. I've since completed two spiral stitch necklaces, a daisy chain bracelet, and a peyote ring. I still find written directions somewhat difficult to understand, but I know that if I get stuck there are members of the Society who can decipher them, who know short-cuts, and who are willing to sit with a southpaw until she finally gets it.
Brenda Schweder In 2010 Brenda experimented with Precious Metal Clay (PMC). Look at some of the beautiful pieces she made! She's a natural!
Kathy Willmering This bracelet is a free-form stitched bracelet Kathy created t his year.

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