Loose Bead Society Programs and Events

Program Agenda

Most meetings are held the third Monday of the month at the New Berlin Library. Need directions? Check out the map.

As part of our educational mission, we occasionally hold meetings where the beads are! Watch the newsletter or the website for updates.

Upcoming Meetings

Our theme for 2010 is Expand Your Horizons!

Please note that some of the 2010 meetings ARE NOT on the 3rd Monday of the Month.

Photo policy

• August 16th, 2010
  Our presenter will be Rebeca Mojica, Chainmaille Artist, Instructor and Owner of Blue Buddha Boutique. We have heard many times from the membership that you'd like to see chainmaille, and we can think of none better to present.
  
  The theme for August's Table Talk will be Beads reborn! Take an old piece of jewelry you don't like or that is broken, take a picture of it, tear it apart, and remake it into something better. We would love to see the "before" picture along with the "after" effect.
  
  
• September 20th, 2010
  We are once again working on a program focused on how to "Succesfully Sell your Stuff". We are assembling a panel discussion. We intend to cover several areas including Home Shows, local Craft and Art Shows, Etsy and others. The panel is not fully assembled yet so stay tuned for a full line up.
  
  The theme for September's Table Talk will Lampwork. Do you have a beautiful lampwork bead you purchased? Now's your chance to show off what you've done with it! Have you made your own lampwork beads? Bring 'em! (Bonnie DeSautelle - I'm talking to YOU! Bring in that beautiful bracelet with the beads you made at the Spring Retreat!)
  
  
• October 18th, 2010
  Annual Business Meeting along with Elections
  
  Our topic for this month is "Vocabulary". We have a very talented membership, and it is amazing the diversity of knowledge, skill sets, and interests everyone has. We often forget that we have members very new to the process, members that know a little bit about a whole lot, and members that know a whole lot in a focused area. We thought we would step back and put together several stations that focus on different topics and cover tools, materials, techniques, and attempt to remove some of the mystery. Did you know that the traditional name for the peyote stitch is gourd stitch?
  
  The theme for October's Table Talk will be Unique Materials. We've seen what our beloved President does with her found objects and odd materials - what can the rest of us come up with? Let's all raid our husbands' hardware drawers or our kids' Legos (they won't miss one or two or twenty) or scour every inch of the house, garage, yard to find just the right focal piece(s)!
  
  
• November 22nd, 2010
  Time for another hands on project! These have been very popular and we thought November would be a great time to introduce a possible gift idea for the Season. The project will be a Spiral bracelet. These bracelets look quite complicated but involve very few steps.
  
  The theme for November's Table Talk will be Global Beading. Bring in pieces where you've used a pattern from around the world or maybe a heritage pattern. Even better would be if that piece also used beads from that country. Bring in information about where you got the beads - we may want to get some for ourselves!
  
  
• December 20th, 2010
  Holiday Party!
  We are still working on some surprises for December. Kind of appropriate, don't ya think?
  
  The theme for December's Table Talk will be Celestial. Bring us the sun, the moon, a handful of stars, or whatever Celestial means to you!
  

Other Events

• Saturday, August 7th
  Rummage sale at the New Berlin Library
  For more information, check out the flyer, and to sign up, mail the registration form to Ruth Maegli or bring it into the next meeting (while tables last!).
  
  
• Wednesday, August 25th
  Loose Bead Society dinner at Kalmbach
  All members are invited to the B&B Show appreciation dinner at Kalmbach Publishing. It will be a Mexican fiesta with food from Casa del Rio in Waukesha. It will be a great time! Please send your RSVP to Brenda.
  
  
• Thursday, October 28th through Sunday, October 31
  Loominosity sale at the New Berlin Public Library

Past Meetings

• July 19th, 2010
  Micro-macrame. No tiny 70's-era plant hangers here! This program was a hands on project making a micro-macrame bracelet. This is a great way to combine beads with a fiber art.
     
  
  The theme for July's Table Talk was...      two for the price of one!
  1. Patriotic.
  
  
  2. Beading on a Budget. A bracelet or necklace costing $5 or less for all of the supplies.
  
  
  Extra points for a piece that's Patriotic on a budget!
  
  
  
• June 14th, 2010
  Beadalon - Designing with new and innovative findings!
  
  Presented in workminar style (part workshop part seminar), this informative and fun class gave participants hands-on experience with some of the newest and most innovative findings, most developed exclusively by Beadalon for our industry. We had a record 120 people at this meeting - 96 members and 24 guests!
  
  We were able to see and use some great tools, and the samples given to us by Beadalon included a tacky mat, Scrimps and screwdriver, pinch bails, a Swarovski crystal, wire, and more! They were so generous!
  
  
  There was no Table Talk for June. Save those pieces for next month!
  
  
• May 10th, 2010
  Have you ever looked at a project in a bead magazine and wished you could design your own and wow your friends? Maggie Roschyk showed us a few ways how you can transition from execution to design. One thing she does is "Reactive Subtractive". She takes the focal bead (usually a gorgeous glass bead made by Kristen Frantzen Orr!) and piles a bunch of different beads that she thinks might match around it. This is the "reactive" part. Afterward, she looks at the piles closer and "subtracts" those that don't really go with the focal bead until she has the right combination - no less than three different types of beads.
  
  That along with some other basic techniques and experimentation, and she ends up with some stunning pieces. She showed us a number of them, including the one that is the cover story in the June 2010 Bead & Button magazine! She had that one in person, and it is more beautiful than in the pictures. She also brought a number of other necklaces and cuffs, plus a plaque she beaded for Bead and Button!
  
   
  
  The theme for May's Table Talk was Buttons. We had a wide range of pieces, from vintage Archbishop's buttons to a jacket to bracelets and necklaces to a picture frame made by Susan Beal's daughter.
   
  
  
• April 19th, 2010
  Jim Kelly joined us in full regalia for a discussion of beadwork within the Native American culture. Please check out his bio for more information about Jim. He joined us at our Winter Bead-In and Spring Retreat and brought a number of his finished pieces.
   
  
  The theme for April's Table Talk was the Peyote stitch. We had quite a number of pieces, and Juanita Quartullo created quite a buzzzzz with her bees!
   
  
  
• March 15th, 2010
  Torch Fired Enamel - Jill Erickson talked about and demonstrated torch-firing enamel. Samples of the demonstration can be found in the 2010 Bead & Button Show catalog, page 108, or you can check out the class in the Bead & Button Show website, class number B10852. She also had an article, Easy Torch Fired Enamel Necklace in Art Jewelry's May 2007 issue. She demonstrated the process for us in small groups so we could all see it up close. Thanks, Jill!
   
  
  The theme for March's Table Talk was Irish in honor of St. Patrick's Day. We had quite an array of pieces, including ones by Susan Beal, Kat Van Eyck, Judy Menting, Sue DeLay, Beth Janicek, Lisa Borman, Lynn Larkins, Julie Miller, Sue Lawson, Arleen, Juanita Quartullo, Bonnie DeSautelle, Margo, Betty Biese, and Traci Otte. Did I miss anyone? It was quite a procession!
   
  
  
• February 15th, 2010 - Irina Miech
  Our meeting on February 15th was all about Irina Miech and metal clay! She discussed what metal clay is and the history of it. She showed us a number of samples, including some rings from her new book. She also passed around her books so we could see the numerous projects she's written about!
   
  
  The theme for February's Table Talk was Red in honor of Valentine's Day. We had a number of pieces again, including Marilee Rockley, Sue Stachelski, Bree Kleist, Lynn Larkins, Ruth Maegli, Carol Heyer, Kat Van Eyck, Bonnie DeSautelle, Susan Duehl, and Susan Beal.
  
   
  
  
• January 18th, 2010 - Right Angle Weave Beaded Bead
  Our meeting on January 18th had an amazing turnout! We made crystal beaded beads using the right angle weave, and all of the beads were donated by Swarovski.
   
  
  Table talk included right angle samples from a great number of our members, including Cindy Collins, Helen Dahms, Jan Mueller, Susan Beal, Rebecca Schmidt, Susan Duehl, Ruth Maegli, and Jan Falk. If we missed anyone, e-mail the Webgoddess, and she will make amends and apologize profusely!
   
  
  We also heard from a few of the teachers who will have classes at the spring retreat.