HGA 2026 Convergence Conference Beadweaving Class, Sample update 1

Currently my beadweaving class is slotted for Sunday August 16th 2026, 9am-4:30pm

Registration is now up, I can't wait to see you in New Orleans!

https://weavespindye.org/schedule-and-registration/

The top image is what I put together for my proposal for this class. I chose black and white beads in order to easily show the stitching in one neutral image. Leading up to the class I'll be creating sample bracelets to show students various design ideas and different types of seed beads that can be used. 

The class kit only includes Dynamites. I like using these seed beads for classes because of size and consistency in shape without being too expensive. I know how falling in love with a new technique can lead to additional spending. ;)

We won't be able to finish a bracelet in the class time we have but I will be providing everyone with enough beads to do so (or to use however you wish).  This is a sampler class just like when we do weaving samples. We'll spend enough time to get a feel for each stitch. Some you may fall in love with and others you may dislike. I know I have my favorites! 
 

We won't be able to finish a bracelet in the class time we have but I will be providing everyone with enough beads to do so (or to use however you wish).  This is a sampler class just like when we do weaving samples. We'll spend enough time to get a feel for each stitch. Some you may fall in love with and others you may dislike. I know I have my favorites! 

I also like to talk about different types of beads, sizes, and can explain how I use beadwork in my jewelry and also as accents in my weaving/fiber work. This class is for all levels of knowledge, I only request that you are able to thread a needle, sometimes this is tricky with beading needles as they are thinner than what most people are used to using so a good base line is helpful (I'm happy to thread needles to keep you moving along though!).

This is the first opportunity I've had to teach beading with HGA so I'm really hoping for a good turnout. Please comment or reach out with any questions about the class!

Feminist Bangle

In the past I suppose I'd considered myself on the outskirts of feminism. I never had a good grasp of it. I was raised being told the common misconceptions, like, feminism was trying to dismantle the "traditional" family structure and it was making it so women "had" to work instead of "finding a man to take care of you." These things never sat right with me first place, I didn't like the idea of trying to find a man to take care of me, nor was I impressed with the married-with-2.5-kids gig. I remember saying out loud for the first time on a family camping trip at 14 or 15 that I never wanted to have children. It's not that I didn't like kids, it only seemed like I had better things to do than raise a human that will likely be as angry and depressed as I was. Also, frankly, dating never felt like a long-term commitment. I struggled with maintaining any relationships, even friendships, I wasn't ever sure marriage was going to go well for me.

Fast forward to 28 years later, I have accidentally found myself on a feminist journey. It started with the book In Defense of Witches; The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial by Mona Chollet. I wasn't paying attention to the description in the book suggestions and thought I had stumbled upon another fantasy book and I needed a break from the self help books. What came through my ear buds via audio book was a description of how I have felt and been treated my whole life. When I've said I don't want to have kids (for as long as I can remember) I'm met with the response "you'll change your mind one day" or the assumption from men that I dated that obviously every woman wants [their] babies so I wasn't taken seriously. I too wanted to have the same rights as men and hated being treated like I I should want to be a mother/homemaker. 

So here I am, learning about 1970's feminism in my 40s, not the bullshit 1990's "girl power" I grew up with. Now I'm angry that these ideas have been around my whole life and I just didn't know about it or have access to it. This all would have made so much sense to 15-year-old-me and it would have been helpful to hear other women talking and writing about being independent and doing whatever they wanted or needed to do with their lives despite social expectations. I listened to In Defense of Witches a second time. Then Gloria Steinem's book My Life on the Road then the compilation book of 50 Years Of Ms. I subscribed to Ms. magazine and ordered 2 past magazines (Ms. has past prints available) that would have come out when I was in high school to help out teenage-me. I have found that I am definitely a feminist and I'm playing catch up. 

Feminism is the blanket I've been wrapping myself in lately, it's mixing in well with my angry-punk mode. I decided the next Statement Bangle once I finished Resist would be Feminist. I've rejected the color pink off and on throughout my life due to what it represented. Ms. magazine uses a bright pink and lot, I decided it was the best start as far as color choices. I matched it with gunmetal for pop but also to keep the statement bold along with an assertive font. 

I didn't know how much I'd be drawn to wearing it, the answer is, all the time. I'm wearing it as often as I wear my Golden Boundary bangle. The vibe is pretty interchangeable these days. 

Feminist Bangle with the 1990's Ms. magazines I ordered.