I come across the most wonderful handmade work & it pushes me to keep creating and keep evolving. So I thought it would be nice to have a section on my blog just for work that moves me, influences me & speaks to me. I also wanted to get background on certain pieces. How and why were they made, what inspired the particular piece & the artist. This will be a place for me to refer back to especially when I need some extra inspiration, as well as share it with all of you & give these talented artists some recognition!
The first piece I wanted to share is this delica beaded ring by Lisa Brideau of Maked. I have always admired her skill to make such beautiful items out of seed beads (something I have tried my hand at but I just don’t have the patience or the vision!!). These rings not only look great on, but are comfortable to wear!
Lisa started beading in Jr. High after her mom gave her a cheap plastic bead loom. She took to it instantly, and so started an obsession with seed beads. The beadwork was shelved while Lisa attended university, but soon after she picked up the hobby again, this time discovering delica beads.
“I’ve been making the delica rings in particular since the 2nd year of my graduate program (a few years ago now) – I needed a small, portable project to do during my law class – not because I was bored but because I didn’t have to take notes so my hands were restless. My classmates loved them and they became a staple of my beadwork.”
These rings are great for those of us with busy hands. Says Lisa: “I love the way they feel – when I need something to fiddle with, I can take my ring off and squish it. Weird, but satisfying. There’s something lovely about the texture of woven beads. It’s also very pleasant feeling the perfect delica beads lock into place one by one as I stitch the ring.”
Although the delica rings give her a nice break from the long, involved & intricate work she normally does, larger projects are more to her liking. Check out her most involved beadwork project to date. She had to build a loom big enough to create it on:
