Topic: Art
My Mom has been on a kick, for over a year, of making beaded jewelry. She used to knit like crazy and do counted cross stitch and petitpoint embroidery in between her knitting projects. She even had a fabric and yarn store in Freeport, Maine, for several years. Now she's fallen in love with beads. She loves the feel of them in her hands as the object grows under her fingertips. She loves the beautiful colors. She works hours on each piece. And at age 82 she doesn't need glasses for this close-up work.
My brother recently sent me photos of some of her jewelry. See beaded jewelry by Kirsten Deaver There are bookmarks, bracelets, and necklaces with crucifixes. This beaded work is the intricate kind that becomes a material of its own kind as it develops - like wampum. It is not just strings of beads, or beads sewn onto fabric in decoration. To create a consistent piece, one must sort the tiny beads to make sure the sizes are right. If a bead is just a little off in size it doesn't work.
