Magazine reveal

The Summer issue 

I often comment that I'm busy beading, but don't seem to have a huge amount of beading on my blog... mostly because what I'm working on is for a magazine, book, upcoming workshop or event.
The folk I'm working with understandably need the design kept under wraps until it suits their schedule to reveal it.
This is one I simply adored creating and was itching to share it with you way back in February. It's a brand new Albion Stitch design exclusively for the gorgeous magazine Perlen Poesie.
The magazine will also have an article about my work with lots of pictures. It's a huge honour as this is a quarterly magazine, so only four artists a year get a showcase cover... I is most pleased!!
I'm looking forward to meeting many of the magazine readers at the Beaders Best show the team organise in Hamburg... I'll be teaching there in August, I'm so looking forward to the trip.

Once more with feeling!!!

The creative process for this design was made the best fun by the request, 'Your most expressive and voluptuous design please'. What a delightful freedom to be given. 

So how did I grow the idea? I knew it was for the June issue and so in deepest darkest winter I thought of how lovely it would be to walk along a beach wearing a brightly coloured sarong. I experimented with some bits of card to get a 'buckle' shape that I could knot a sarong through... tried it and it works!
Next I looked at some bouquets of exotic flowers...  bet you're thinking.. in midwinter? in England? really? ... yes indeedy, in the dining room of a rather glitzy London hotel where I was attending a meeting, definitely shudder to think about the carbon footprint, but they were truly inspiring.
For the beading I started with the centre, I'd been experimenting with different kinds of bezels for the SS39 Swarovski Chaton and liked this simple variation. It gave me a base to start each petal from and the shapes kind of grew. There are plenty of crystals nestling in the design for added bling on the beach.
I'll definitely be wearing mine this summer... how about you?

Hamburg bead fair classes

Double sided Daisies

I love getting new designs ready for workshops, events and publications, but the sitting and waiting until I can show and share is sometimes a really fidgety business... the more I like a design or a new thought in beads, the harder it is to keep it under wraps. The fun part, I guess, is putting it away, then setting off in a different creative direction for the next piece... essential so that no one is miffed that you've duplicated an idea or process, tricky eh?!!
At last I can show and share the pictures of the workshops I'll be teaching at the Hamburg Bead Fair in August, if you're going to the show, come join a class with me or one of the many amazing bead artists who'll be gathering to teach their designs too (feel a bead party coming on!), you can find out more here.

Summer Tassels

Anyhoo, in Hamburg I'll be showing some new Albion Stitch techniques I've been trying out, my favourite of the moment a double sided Daisy pendant. I've been working on some more ideas linked to these designs, lots of lovely new shapes and structures... which will remain top secret for a little while longer, doh! but for now I'm busy wearing a Daisy pendant which is green on one side and pink on the other, perfect for cheering up the sensible winter woolies.

The second design I'll be teaching is a delish Summer Tassel, I'm exploring different ways of layering my beadwork and this design takes Albion stitch in yet another new direction with some cunning construction. The kits for the class contain lovely polka dot dagger beads which I've been hoarding in my stash for just such a project.