Homage to Laura McCabe

The two greatest influences on my beadwork have been Carol Wilcox Well's two books (Creative Beadweaving and The Art and Elegance of Beadweaving) and Laura McCabe. I keep Carol's books close and always try to have them with me when taking classes. If I have a problem understanding a technique used in a pattern, Carol's books usually help clarify them.

I began seeing Laura's works in Bead and Button. This necklace is one of the first of hers that I tried. What's awesome about Laura's patterns is they are deceptively easy to make, yet the results are stunning. The leaves in this piece are polymer from Klew.

Although easy to follow, this necklace was time consuming. Multiple strands of seed beads are strung and then the embellishments are added to one strand. The beaded flowers take time to make, but they turn this necklace into something truly special. I had a great deal of difficulty not piercing the thread and keeping proper tension. Since then, bead stoppers were introduced that greatly assist in keeping tension at the optimal level.

I've never had a class with Laura, but I've learned a great deal from her. I had the opportunity to attend the Bead and Button show several years ago. It was there I met Laura and purchased a couple of kits. My passion for beadweaving began that day. In the next post, I'll show those pieces and the ones I made for my friend Loretta.