Beadlust

Beads & Long-distance Friends

I just love it when beads string across many miles and bring people together because of their common interest! Bead conferences are like that. Bead traders in all parts of the world are like that. You and I can relate to a villager in South Africa or Siberia because of that - a common bead bond, a bead language.

Susan and Phyllis are a great example. They both used to live in Texas and work at the same quilt shop. A few years ago, Susan and her family moved to southern California. For some, this might have been the end of a wonderful friendship. But not these two. Once a year they meet somewhere to indulge their passion for quilting and beading, and to renew their friendship. This year it was Valley Ridge Art Studio in Wisconsin where they took my 4-day workshop "Beads, Books & Paint!"

Both Susan and Phyllis chose the same fabric for their bead embroidery - a bright and playful Kaffe Fassett print. Although their bead embroidery reflects their individal style, the predominant color in both pieces is red. Here is Susan's. (Refer to my post on June 2 for Phyllis.)

And here are Susan's painted papers. She had fun repeating a theme of hands, spirals, hearts and buterflies - a heart warming and playful theme that matched her fabric and her mood during class.

Below she shows off her creation! A couple of days ago she emailed to tell me that she'd already transcribed a Mary Oliver poem into her new book. That's music to my ears, as I love it when these books actually get used!