Always playing ….

Beading sampler

 Last weekend, I attended a Beading workshop tutored by Lisa Walton of Dyed and Gone to Heaven fame. Lisa has won many awards for her beautiful quilts, and I have long admired her work, so I was pleased to have the opportunity to participate in her workshop. I enjoy attending workshops and believe that no matter how much you may think you know, there is always something new and different approaches. Every tutor brings their own unique ideas and so you always learn something new.  I made the decision some time ago, that it is not necessary to complete a project as taught in a workshop, but just to regard them as learning experiences.  (Or maybe that is just a convenient excuse for not finishing a project!)  

Lisa’s workshop was a technique class, so no set project to complete. (Whew!).  We learned many of the basic stitches for beading are based on simple embroidery stitches. These days, with the popularity of jewellery making, there are many beautiful beads available. It was easy to see how addictive beading could become.  

Strangely, as a result of this class, I was inspired to do some fabric dyeing during the week, as I can see how readily hand dyed fabric and beading complement each other.  I have many pieces of hand dyed fabric that I can’t bear to cut, so beading them intact, is the obvious answer.

Dyed fabric

 I enjoy fabric dyeing and had several different PFD (prepared for dyeing) fabrics on hand to compare the results after dyeing them, since different weaves and finishes on the base fabric produces a different result.  Surprisingly, the one I liked most, was a white cotton shirting I had bought at an Indian department store in Singapore. I wish I had bought more of it !