SEVEN
Seven is a daylong class that got its name from the seven hares it consists of. In its center, there is a three hares motif, prevalent in ancient cultures all around the world, probably originating in Mesopotamia. From there, it made its way to China, and from China along the Silk Road, the bunnies traveled to Europe. From Medieval Jewish cemeteries to English churches, the bunnies made Europe their home too. That is one theory, the other is convergent evolution. Because the world needed more infinite bunny circles to symbolize its deepest feelings, explain its secrets and tell its story. I will leave it up to you to decide which explanation suits you best for explaining three hares running in a circle, their ears shared to create an optical illusion. The three hares are but the beginning of this necklace though: they are joined by four others to form a powerful necklace. Two on each side forming the sides of the necklace. This necklace is a very timely design for me as an artist: it takes me back to the beginning of my bead embroidered journey. The basics of bead embroidery. This composition is all about balance and using the right materials and editing.
KITS:
$115-$185
All the seed beads used are size 15s and beyond them, there are only tiny gems. Each bunny gets outlined with metallic seed beads and filled up with such beautiful things as malachite, carnet, lapis lazuli, pyrite, yellow quartz, turquoise. To keep the project from being price prohibitive, if you take this class, you can also make the bunnies out of crystal. This is why the pricing structure is a little different from how we do things usually for class kits: your base price includes materials for the necklace to be made out of beautiful, 2mm crystals with permanent finish 15s. If you wish to upgrade to the stones mentioned above combined with 24k plate beads and other expensive finishes, you will have a chance to do so in class. This will make it so that all the kits will be between $115 and roughly $185. You don't have to make any decisions about kit materials just yet; you can wait and see what speaks to you when you come to class. I will promise to tempt and tantalize with beautiful combos. In order to complete this design, you will need a large 3d necklace stand you can pin the bunnies to. In class we are not going to get to this part, but I will bring mine to demonstrate how to do this. Beyond the printed instructions and my explanation, you will also have access to a full-length video course that will remain available to you permanently after the class. This will be super useful because as you might have guessed, you will NOT be finishing this project in class, and the most important part of the project is how to attach the bunnies to fit your neck best. Your kit will include all the foundation, leather, seed beads and gems needed to complete the necklace.
SUPPLIES:
You will need to have supplies with you such as a good, pointy, sharp pair of scissors for precision cutting. This project will come out as good as your bunny cutouts are accurate. So, the scissors are the most important thing. You will also need beading needles. Size 11 and 13 Tulip needles. Depending on the gems you pick, some have very small holes, and you may need to use the size 13 needles. This will not be true for everyone, but it's good to plan ahead. For your thread, you may use One G, Fireline in 4lb test, KO, or anything else you usually use for your bead embroidery. I used a new fishing line called Forward in 8lb test on most of my samples, on some of them I needed to switch to a thinner thread occasionally. Bring a white gel pen too. They tend to dry out easily, so make sure it works. E6000 will be needed to glue the leather to the foundation.
If you wish to register, please fill out the online form below:
or email Ann Wilkinson @ violadagamba2002@gmail.com this form:
Or mail to:
Northwest Bead Society
P.O. Box
Lynnwood, WA 98046
$60/$105 Payment due December 1st, 2025.
Kit Payment due to Kinga Bledsoe Day of class