I brought the white bone carving that I had bought at the Tucson bead show earlier in the year. I told Heidi I wanted to make a beaded collar. I had never attempted such a big project, although I have been wanting to make one for a long time.
Heidi showed me how to make the collar pattern and helped with the initial design. On a large piece of grey ultra suede Heidi drew the outline of what would morph into the pattern you see in the picture. She attached the middle row using my bone carving and the green and violet beads that came from her stash. While she worked on her own jewelry project, I began stitched her iris gold seed beads around the first three beads.
Surrounded by Heidi's art pieces and supplies, I had a relaxing and inspiring afternoon of beading. Heidi was generous with her advice and encouragement and is an excellent teacher.
The basic design stayed the same, although I decided to add more natural stones to the project. From an online store I bought more "Heidi beads", the iris gold 10/0 seed beads that she uses in many of her projects. Whenever I worked on the collar I remembered the great time I had that day.
If you want to see more of her work, here is the link to her website. She also sells on Etsy in her shop. Her designs are one of a kind, wearable art. Beautiful and inspiring.
If you have a favorite bead artist who offers workshops or classes, I highly recommend you try to go. I hope you'll have as much fun and get as inspired as I did.
I've worn my "Heidi necklace" once and can't wait to wear it again.