Eileen's Beading Workshop

First off thank you Roberta for sharing your friend from Vancouver Is and her talents with your friends here in Winnipeg! Like Corina said please bring her back again!!! I will have to post again some of the tips learned as I seem to have drawn a blank on this - DUH!!! The one thing I do remember is instead of using the beading threads Eileen uses the Coats green label or spool of Hand Quilting Dual Duty plus thread and runs it through beeswax twice and then the blue boxed Thread Heaven to help stop the bearding after a half dozen beads or so!!! Then using the beeswax again you flatten the end and voila it passes through the eye of the needle lickety split - well for me it does!

Okay, after supper I got my second wind and tackled the pics so thought I should upload them before I flagged again! So without further ado here are my pieces along with Dianne's and Corina's and a few of Eileen's samples. DUH me I didn't think of taking pictures of the other participants in the workshop - SORRY!!! There were eight of us and I think one ot two unable to attend last minute besides Roberta and Eileen.


My two quiltlets, basically 4 inch squares and yes I did mitred corners rather than the lapped bindings. Yes that is a glow in the dark DMC floss embellished heart that was in the batik to start with and I just ehanced it. I love it!!!


My nice clean workstation - sorry no after pic taken - not that you would have wanted to see it and let me say it took ages to pack up!!!


And here's the beginning of basic beading, backstitching (zig zag at top), couching curves and the picot edging. Let me tell you when "picot" was mentioned I was cringing - I had recently been taught the torturous "picot" stitch in tatting!!!


And here is attaching the feature piece with metallic thread and a sort of spider web stitch in the centre to anchor a picot top along with the finished picot and lace stitch edgings and just starting the double picot edging.


Here is the dimensional beading in the centre using the stop stitch and the branch stitch along with various size/type of beads and sequins. Now this to me was the coup de Resistance of the workshop - it was awesome to see these towering beads just standing there and not flopping over!!! The various fringe stitches were a bit tricky to do but got them and the start of the netting for the rest of the bottom. This is where I ran out of time and will have to finish on my own at home, but then I still have lots of the dimensional beading and especially the bugle bead fan stitch to incorporate here too.


And here I'm trying to show you the 3-D effect of the beading. Maybe I'll get another pic in the daytime and it will show up better.

And here is Dianne's green and Corina's blue quiltlets.



The following are some of Eileen's samples that she had on hand. If you have any questions please contact her by email eileenneill@shaw.ca at Eileen's Studio from Qualicum Beach BC.





I think a lovely time was had by all BUT I can tell you that about 3:00ish I hit the perverbial brick wall (and I went to bed at a decent time and even slept in some) and just about had no ooomph to learn the remaining stitches! It wasn't a hard workshop but it was very informative and I think all of us were geared up to do all we were shown and ready to soak up more! LOL!