Winging Their Way to Beadwork

They are flying out this morning for their moment of glory along with the choker. I know a few of you are awaiting the pattern to create some wings of your own. Maybe one or two of you will even be inspired to make a choker.

As a designer it's always fun to see what people create with my designs, where they take them, what colors they choose. It's one of the fun parts of teaching too, having my students bring in their own colorways.

My trusty friend and teaching assistant Suzanne is already working up the pattern for Urchin Wings, so she can tell me if I screwed up...lol.

I worked the pattern up twice myself and other than transposing the very first line, my brain insisting A came before B, I think I got it right.  Of course, it's very difficult not to read over your own mistakes...of course the amazing folks at Beadwork keep a watchful eye. 

It's not an easy job writing patterns, because everyone learns differently and what may be interpreted easily by one can be the mystery of the century to another. When I write my own patterns I basically go step-by-step with pretty much an illustration for every step and of course that can run into many pages, too many for a magazine, you want more than two or three patterns in a magazine. 

Other news....many of us who are at home are turning green because we are not with the merry band of beaders who are now blistering their feet at the Bead & Button show.  I have never been to a big bead show and I have a Jekyl and Hyde feeling about it, part of me wants to go so badly and part of me is terrified.  As Suzanne saw the other day when we were shopping for buttons it does not take much to send my design brain into overdrive, and with all the inspiration at a big bead show I am concerned my brain might actually explode, or at the very least turn me into blathering idiot (ok, that might not be a far trip).

Still, I am envious of those with blistering feet and scorched credit cards, one day, one day I will be there among you...until then keep posting on your blogs and Facebook about who you met, what you saw and what you splurged on so those of us who did'nt get there can live vicariously.