Beadweaving with Huib Petersen

My first bead workshop ever!  I owe a huge thanks the the Great Lake Beadworkers Guild for allowing me to join and get into the classes without ever having gone to a meeting.  I know, I need to make it out there for the meetings.  I was kind of nervous going into this class.  I have been beading for 20 years, but I have had no formal training so I did not know at what level I would be beading in compared to the rest of the class.  Would I be way behind? Would I be taking up a bunch of the instructors time in trying to understand how to do something?  It was quite the opposite.  I feel that I can truly say that I have a firm grasp on how to put beads together and even in following other's directions.  I am also a very fast beader.

I haven't officially finished a total piece from the 2 day class but instead learned new techniques and how to utilize them.  I have done angled peyote stitch with the Russian Leaf stitch before and Huib has taken this to a new level.  The above image shows the flower petals before being pulled together.  Below is after you stitch the centers and edges. 

The pattern for the workshop was a water lilly, mine still needs the next 2 layers of petals and to be put together through the center.  I did make a finished lilly pad which is really pretty.  It also made me utilize bugle beads in a manner that I have never really thought about. 

I have started in on a dragonfly wing to learn how to graph out the angular peyote and do increase and decreases.  My brain is whirring with ideas for these new techniques.  But when I got home I had to finish my tapestery weaving!  So here this project sits, waiting to either be finished or set aside so that I can make new fun pieces from my own designs.  I cannot wait to get my own piece finished so that I can share pictures and my appreciation with Huib.