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Monday, October 17, 2011

Bead it Baby!

Today I had a most interesting afternoon.  Lyric Kinard's new DVD called Bead it Like You Mean it arrived in the mail. I had just finished piecing and fusing a medium sized piece; folded all the fabrics, put them away, and cleaned off my cutting table. I'm ready for something new. What a coincidence!
Lyric's new DVD

After running an errand, I decided that the rest of the afternoon would be dedicated to Lyric and beading.  I put the dvd in my laptop and took instruction from Lyric.  I've been beading my quilts since about 1991, and of course, I think I know it all!  Well, I learned lots of things from her because her point of view is so different from mine!

I loved how her backdrop changed with each segment she taught.  Her explanations were well thought out and very clear.  She demonstrated everything at least once. She used contrasting threads so it was easy to see where the thread was inside of the beads and on each project.  I was very impressed, Lyric is a gifted teacher and presenter.

On several occasions she showed small finished pieces that incorporated the techniques she had just  demonstrated in the previous segment. Lyric always had a little bit of a sense of humor as she explained the possible difficulties and challenges that might come along, this made watching the video both fun and informative.

Briefly, this is what she covered:
  • Types of beads
  • Setting up the tools and workspace
  • Seed beads
  • Bugle beads
  • Stacking beads and fringe
  • Creating cages for large pieces
  • How to bead a quilt after it has been finished without any knots showing on the back
She shows a great way to make knots along the way and at the end of your threads. She stresses the importance of making the beads secure.  I enjoyed the segment on making stacks of beads which is something I haven't done, and look forward to adding to my new piece.

This DVD comes in a protective case, was professionally filmed and edited by Bonnie Lyn McCaffery. The DVD can be stopped after each segment, so you can practice the parts that interest you before going on to the next chapter. Bead it Like You Mean It retails for 24.95 plus 5.50 shipping. She accepts PayPal on her blog http://lyrickinard.blogspot.com
Here's a closeup of my collage Still Life with Scraps
In the very near future I will show you my current project titled Still Life with Scraps, when fused, embroidered and beaded.  I am anxious to see how it turns out.

Happy beading everyone.

Ann Fahl

1 comment:

Maggie Szafranski said...

Ann, you left the "c" off lyric's addy, but I found it and ordered it! Thanks!