Igniting the Flame

It is interesting to talk to some people who really think of Jewellery making and beading as something for the children to do. Their first thoughts and visions are of plastic beads being strung on to stretchy cord - I see it all the time when telling people that I teach beading classes and make jewellery. This is more prevalent in NZ as beading, jewellery making and Glass bead making is still a relatively new concept here. Not enough people have been exposed to the wonders of bead stitching, bead embroidery, lampwork, wirework - you name it - there are many factions to the artform and creative pastime.

I remember only too well the first beading class a friend and I did. We had asked another friend to join us but she kept hesitating and you could see she definitely had the thought pattern above. She didn't even go into the bead shop and have a look before the class to get an idea of what we were talking about. Needless to say she did not take the class. We did and the result was my multistrand necklace in the previous post - which we were so excited about. Our other friend did enquire about our class afterwards and when we showed her what we had made she was certainly quite impressed.

For me this was the first spark in fuelling my interest in the world of all things beaded. Another basic wirework class (earring making) was undertaken with more friends and then came my first stitching class. Oh my - this opened up a whole new world to me that I just knew I had to persue.

Above is the first stitched piece of jewellery I ever made in this class. In case you didn't already know I am a huge fan of GREEN particularly this shade. The Czech Class faceted beads, Green & Gold Japanese Seed Beads and of course Peridot Swarovski Crystals - not to mention the gorgeous Czech button was more than enough to Ignite the Fire. I still have and wear this piece particularly in summer, and have made a fair few for brides over the years.

It is interesting to think back on the path this one bracelet has led me to follow. There is definitely more than just stringing plastic beads on elastic in this game and I look forward to being able to share this passion with more people and changing their perceptions.

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My Very First Project

Well, here it is - the very first jewellery item I ever made - around 5yrs ago.

I used to decorate paper mache boxes, paint them up and decorate the lids. The lids always had some kind of ribbon on the edges and I needed stones and pretty things to hide the join. My husband (Craig) sent me to The Bead Hold (which at the time had another store near home - now only at Point Chevalier) as he had done some work there.

Wow! This was the first time I had ever been into a bead shop and I remember being totally blown away by it and just loved the feeling and atmosphere in store. I was mesmerised and spent quite a bit of time looking at absolutely everything. Quite overwhelming too as there were things in there to cater for all kinds of beading.

I spotted the signs for Jewellery Making Classes in store and my heart leaped for joy and I litterally signed up on the spot to do the basics class - using beads and threading them on to tigertail and learning how to finish off the necklace. The above photo is the result of that first class - I was hooked , line and sinker.
You know, I still have this very necklace and still wear it!

My beading journey has taken many twists and turns over these past 5yrs and the style of my beading has evolved since this first class. In my next post I will show you my first stitched piece of jewellery that just set my love of beading on fire.

To see some items from my gallery CLICK HERE