Looming

Hi everyone!  I'm happy that you stopped by today.  I'm sure you're wondering what that title means.  It means that I took a bead looming class!  I know that doesn't sound like anything earth shattering to anyone, but it is something I needed to get talked into!  So, for me it was a shift in my thinking.  Let me explain.  I never liked bead looming.  For that matter, I never was very interesting in fiber weaving.  I've done lots of things with fiber and fabric, but weaving wasn't something that appealed to me.  I tried bead looming, but again, it didn't appeal.  To begin with, it's so flat and I love dimension.  It's flatness makes it uninteresting for me to work on.  But, last year I began to change my mind.  I went to a lecture and demo given by a bead looming artist, Erin Simonetti, at Bead Soup.
Erin's work is amazing.  She has been looming since she was a child.  The techniques she has developed are incredible and take looming to a new level.  No more perfectly flat pieces of beaded "fabric".   She creates all the designs herself, so each is original.  The lecture was the introduction to a series of classes she began teaching at Bead Soup.  But, I resisted.  I have so many things on my plate, or should I say on my work table, that I didn't need another one!  So, I watched what others created in the classes and admired the projects but I resisted!  Some of my friends told me I should try it and I resisted.  Finally, I decided to take one of  Erin's classes.  It was a small amulet bag that had a smocked front!  Smocking in beads!!  I used to smock.  I even made a couple of dresses for my daughter when she was a little girl.  But, smocking in beads was so intriguing.  So, I signed up.  This is what we loomed.

 

 

The front.

 

The back.

 

Detail of the smocking and fringe.

 

 

I developed my own fringe design and got to use the fantastic new dagger beads, which I love and have been wanting a project to come along so I could use them.  I replaced the silver chain Erin had used on top of the fringe with a spiral rope of silver beads and the last dagger I had in the middle.  And, I have a beaded chain pattern that I like so I used that for the neck strap.  But, the wonderful smocked beading and the charted flowers are all Erin's! 

 

I enjoyed the class and learning some of Erin's techniques.  I probably will never be a committed bead looming person, but I enjoy Erin's designs and so tomorrow I'm taking my second looming class.  We'll be making one of two designs for a Fall cuff.  I'm doing the leaf cuff which has some interesting techniques that only Erin could come up with.   And, I can't resist Fall themed projects of any kind and I love cuff, so I had to do this class!   It should be interesting!  I'll share when it's finished!

 

Thank you for stopping by today.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend.