June 25, 2003
Whether a pin or a scarf, get a bead on it
Bay Area Beaders Guild demonstrates its craft with style
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Living their unofficial motto - whoever dies with the most beads wins - members of the Bay Area Beaders Guild held an Artist Market Saturday at the Unity Church.
From glittering to glamorous to unusual, the displays of the 17 area beaders spanned the spectrum of style, media and execution. In addition to pins, earrings, necklaces and bracelets, the Artist Market included displays of tie tacks, beaded clothing and wine bottle toppers.
Take seed beads, the miniature beads about the size of the head of a pin. Their small size makes them versatile. Beaders at the artists markets used seed beads as accents to earrings and necklaces, as sparkling decorations on Christmas tree balls and to decorate clothing.
Maggie Vinette of Lake Ann loves to combine beads with fabric. At the market she displayed her works of art masquerading as scarves, where she added intricately beaded fringes to soft, rich fabrics. One vibrant, multi-colored piece had a four-inch fringe of seed beads that meticulously recreated the fabric's complex design.
"I spent 80 hours to make that," she noted as she sewed beads into a design on a satin jacket. "I wouldn't be too upset if it didn't sell."
With beads, imagination is the only limit and people of any age can participate.
"I make clay beads," said Katie DeRosha, 10, as she shopped the artists market with a friend.
Deni Whaley of Blair Township is the guild president and has been beading since 1969. She displayed a variety of jewelry and other wearable art during the artists market. Over the decades her art has evolved from larger beads to smaller more delicate items.
"Beading is just sticking a needle through a little bitty bead and trying to do something creative with it," she said. "It is very wearable art."
Guild members meet monthly to exchange ideas, hone their craft and socialize with other bead obsessed people. Their monthly gatherings feature an educational speaker and they often host project nights where members gather to bead together.
They also host a bead challenge every year where each participant makes an item incorporating the same beads. Displaying all the different pieces at one meeting and seeing everyone's unique approach is a fun and learning experience for members.
"It is such a great group, you learn so much," said Maria Perez-Bastian, who was showing in her second show. "Beading is such a lovely endeavor, I'm totally addicted."
In addition to making a variety of jewelry, Perez-Bastian is a lamp worker - one of six or seven guild members who makes her own beads. The term lamp worker is used because these artists work over an open torch to form the beads.
"I love the process of melting glass in front of a torch and making beads," she said.
Once she has her stock of beads made, Perez-Bastian said another great aspect to beading is that it can be done anywhere: from cars and airplanes to a kitchen table or workshop.
"The nice thing about beads and beadwork is that it is portable; you can take it anywhere," she said.
Members of the Bay Area Beaders Guild meet at 6:30 p.m. the second Thursday of every month at the Lodge at WoodCreek, which is off of South Airport Road between Garfield and Three Mile Road. For more information, call guild president Deni Whaley at 943-4310.