Friday, September 27, 2013

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. 

 


10 comments:

  1. Hi Marryanne,
    I am so envious that you got to take a class with Erin Simonetti, I love her work. I love your amulet bag it is so pretty and I love the fringe you did a great job. I took one looming class at a fiber shop in a town a few miles down the road from where I live, but I did not enjoy or get much out of it.
    Therese

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  2. Maryanne!!! I have no clue what I am going to write. This has left me speechless, jaw hanging down speechless. Beautiful, Gorgeous, Detailed. The colors and the design and the fringe..oh the fringe! After hearing about it, I am thrilled to see the final outcome. Oh, I cannot wait to see what comes out of this weekend's class! Beautiful work, Maryanne :-D

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  3. Wow Maryanne, this looks totally amazing!! My mouth is on the floor.... I don't do any beading at all so this is all just like magic to me, incredible how anybody could make (and design) something like this! Now I can't wait to see the next project! There is so much detail in this piece and I love the colours!

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  4. Whoa!!!! This is absolutely fantastic! I am so happy you "went through with it" and took that class, this is just amazing, i applaud you!!!

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  5. Maryanne!!!!! I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE this bag with the smocking!!! I am also not keen on the idea of looming (for me it was always the warp threads - although my seed beading skills have grown leaps and bounds since the last time I tried looming 15 years ago - so maybe it woudlnt be so bad this time.) This piece is just gorgeous. I have enjoyed seeing some of the Beads Soup FB posts about Erin's class!

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  6. Oh, I fell in love with that smocking when I saw it on her fb page. That was what really grabbed me, because I felt much the same as you about looming. Unfortunately, I don't live close enough to take a class, but I have joined her fb group, so hopefully I will learn a bit about her fabulous dimensional weaving. I really love your touches to the project, you truly made this a breathtaking design!

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  7. What a beautiful bag, the stocking looks incredible and gives it great dimension. Love those daggers!

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  8. Stunning amulet bag Maryanne. I love it :-)

    TFS

    Annie x

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  9. Maryanne I am just so impressed! Your amulet bag is out of this world. You are so incredibly talented! Just love the fringe and the pattern...and my goodness it must have taken a long time to finish a masterpiece like this! Looking forward to seeing your Fall cuff!

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  10. Wow, this is stunning - I'd never have believed you could smock with beading - this is just amazing and very beautiful, I love the fringing along the bottom - those red dagger beads are fab!

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