Bead Fest Philadelphia 2016 Workshops

We are thrilled to be offering workshops again at Bead Fest Philadelphia. It is a HUGE beading event and we love being part of it. This year, we will be teaching two projects: Janet Palumbo's Heart-to-Heart Bracelet and Reem Iversen's Heliotrope Earrings. Both projects have been published in BEADWORK magazine. Since publication, we have been tweaking the patterns, improving the instructions, and adding new color combinations! We look forward to helping the class participants make these two beautiful projects.

On Saturday, August 20, from 4:30-8:30 pm, we will be teaching Reem's Heliotrope Earrings. These beautiful dome-shaped earrings combine herringbone and peyote stitches. We will be offering kits in a variety of colors, including our newest one--Orchid. The other colors available will be Pink, Blue, and Bronze.

Reem Iversen's Heliotrope Earrings in Pink, Blue, and Bronze

Reem Iversen's Heliotrope Earrings, in Orchid

Janet Palumbo's Heart-to-Heart Bracelet

On Sunday, August 21, we offer Janet's Heart-to-Heart Bracelet as a full-day workshop, from 8:30 am-4:00 pm. Right-angle-weave, made with either Czech farfalle or Japanese peanut beads, is used to create the double-heart centerpiece, embellished with Swarovski crystal pearls and Czech fire-polished beads. Three colors will be available: Magic Lilac, Bronze, and new Storm cloud Gray.

We hope you can join us!

Janet Palumbo's Heart-to-Heart Bracelet in Gray and Coral

Monreale Earrings at Bead Fest Philadelphia

We will be teaching Janet Palumbo's "Monreale Earrings" at Bead Fest Philadelphia this week. The original version of this design was embellished with 3mm firepolish crystals, but the color used for the Blue Iris and Garnet earrings--the main colorway published in Beadwork Quick and Easy 2013--has not been available for some time. So at Bead Fest, we will offer this colorway with metallic blue Chinese crystal rondelles. I think I like these even better than the original!

Monreale Earrings by Janet Palumbo in Blue Iris and Garnet

Bead Fest Philadelphia 2015 Workshops

Bead Fest Philadelphia 2015: We will be teaching 3 workshops

We will be teaching three of our favorite earring designs at Bead Fest Philadelphia on August 20 and 21. As always, we will be offering great designs, clear instructions, and plenty of hands-on help to our students! 

We start on Aug. 20 with Reem Iversen's From Russia With Love earrings. We taught this workshop last year and everyone enjoyed it. Students new to bead weaving love these little beauties because they work up fairly quickly. Experienced bead weavers find these to be a great way to learn St. Petersburg stitch and to explore the role of color in bead work design. Join us early for this workshop!

From Russia With Love by Reem Iversen,
in topaz and in silver

From Russia With Love by Reem Iversen,
in petrol and in rosaline

At 4:30 pm on Aug. 20, we will be teaching Reem Iversen's Heliotrope earrings. These brilliantly engineered earrings feature a volcano-shaped front and an equally beautiful flat back. An earring reminiscent of sunflowers is created with a combination of seed beads and two-hole superduo beads, brought together around a central pearl or round bead using a mix of herringbone, peyote, and right-angle-weave stitches. Students with some experience will find these to be a delightful challenge to create.  

Heliotrope by Reem Iversen,
in blue and in bronze

Heliotrope by Reem Iversen, pink

On Friday evening, Aug. 21, we will be teaching Janet Palumbo's Monreale earrings. Inspired by the paired slender, twisted columns that line the medieval cloister of Monreale in Sicily, these architecturally inspired earrings feature pointed arches and elegant long bugle beads. These earrings can be completed with either crystal rondelles, for a dramatic look, or firepolished beads, if understatement is more your style.

Monreale by Janet Palumbo, amethyst

Monreale by Janet Palumbo, silver