QUILTING MAGAZINE ON LINE

presented by Martine House    

Once in a while, when I create a fiberart piece, I need an accent: it may be abranch, some feathers, some small commercial beads. But it also may be a larger glass bead,of a specific color and with a special shape. Then I call my friend Lori Pickering and tellher what I need, and she makes the beads that will perfectly complement my piece. Whatshe produces is wonderful and her beads add the very special and precious detailto my work. Here is what she says about her passion for beads.

“To Bead or Not to Bead”
by Lori Pickering, L.L. Beads

As a child, I remember sorting seed beads by colors. Preparing my bead loomand designing my pattern, I began to bead my way to happiness. Early jewelrypieces, necklaces and bracelets, were welcomed gifts among all my friends. As I grewolder, I always kept my beads close at hand, but I set them to the side for fiber.

I pursued my education in Fine Arts, with textiles as my concentration. Eventhrough my college days, the jeweler’s voice quietly called me. I really loved the twoyears of jewelry classes that I took in my Fine Arts curriculum, but the weaving held mecaptive.

A year after my graduation, my mother and I started a small company makinghand-dyed knitted clothing under the label “Arta-Cloaks”. This has continued up to thepresent day. Three and a half years ago I was given a small torch and glass supplies tocreate beads. Like a dormant addiction, the “beadst” was once again awakened.I began in my garage, cautiously turning the stainless steel mandrel in myleft hand, while carefully heating the slender glass rod in the tip of the torch flame. As the glass rod began to glow red, I wound it around the mandrel. It took a lot of practice tocreate even beads, but in time they came...

This technique is called lampworking. It goes way back to Venetian glassworkers. It was originally done by heating soft glass rods in an oil lamp’s flame whilewinding the glass around slender mandrels to create beads. The beads are annealed to removestress, then cooled completely, twisted off the mandrel and strung. The same process isused today except that I use an oxygen/propane torch instead of an oil lamp.

My primary inspiration is color and as I began to envision jewelry with colorthemes, I set out to create matching sets of earrings and necklaces. I even began to makeglass ensembles to match the hand-dyed clothing that I was working on. It seemed tobe the perfect finishing touch to a wearable art outfit -- handmade glass jewelry tomatch!

I have always loved rocks also. I began to collect crystals as a child- eventhen, knowing that they possess a special mysterious power. As I advanced in my earlyjewelry making, I began to make very special necklaces using crystals as the center piece. Icalled them “Crystal Medicine Bag” necklaces. They featured natural stone beads and adeerskin pouch hand-stitched around the large quartz crystal. I researched themetaphysical properties of the stone beads that I used and wrote a card for each necklacethat identified all of its properties.

As my glass bead work improved, I began to take the Medicine Bag necklaces toa new level. They have now become color-based; each necklace is centered around acrystal as before but is focused on the medicine of a specific color which opens up themetaphysical powers of the necklace and makes a very meaningful color statement. All glassbeads on these pieces are my own hand-made glass and the hand stitched leather pouch iscolor coordinated. I also create matching earrings to go with each necklace. Theyare truly unique and beautiful.

I work in my studio which is located in the “Arta-Cloaks” gallery/studio thatmy mother and I share in Saluda, North Carolina. You are always welcome to watch ademonstration of glass work while visiting our shop. I also have more examples of my“Crystal Medicine Bag” necklaces on our website: www.arta-cloaks.com. Please visit! I am always ready to discuss beads and related topics so you can reach me at dottz@teleplex.netAnd the bead goes on...