Bead Workshop

On the middle Sunday we had a day of rest and by then we needed it! Week two was a six day workshop. During workshop we could work on any previously started bead project. No specific tuition is given but Uematsu-sensei is still on hand to give advice and guidance. I wanted to use this time to continue with my Pouchette. I was beginning to feel better and the break from Pouchette had allowed me to take a step back and consider how I wanted to progress.

I still wanted to emphasis the gold lines but I felt that some of my initial beading was overly fussy. I decided not to take anything out at this point but to continue in a different area; class time is far too precious to spend it reverse stitching!

I wanted to include some moriage in the design and the centre of this paisley seemed a perfect place for it.

© JEC/Carol-Anne Conway

I also wanted to try out my thoughts on beading some flowers in a simpler, less fussy way.

© JEC/Carol-Anne Conway

And I wanted to play around with colour blending with the beads.

© JEC/Carol-Anne Conway

As the week progressed, my health improved and I was becoming more confident about how my piece was progressing. By the end of the second week, which simply flew by, I was beginning to feel a fit of bead-fatigue and I was longing be back home but I was also sorry that the adventure was over. At the end of final class, Sue and I needed to leave immediately for the airport; there was no time for lingering fair wells. One minute we were beading, the next we were on our way home.

I made many new friends in Atlanta. Some I had already ‘met’ on the internet but it was wonderful to meet them in person and spend time together simply beading. I shall always be grateful for all the help and advice I was given while I was an alien in Atlanta and am especially indebted to those who ferried us around and showed us the best places to eat. I’d like to thank Mr and Mrs Tamura, their family and all the JEC staff who worked so hard to make the course run smoothly and to make my visit to the Centre a memorable experience. Last, but very definitely not least, many thanks are due to Uematsu-sensei for her excellent tuition and to Kazumi-san for acting as translator. I had thought that this would be a ‘once in a life time’ trip to the Japanese Embroidery Centre but now that I have been there I want to go again!

Happy Stitching