Just a little bit about me: My name is Kristin Margarite and I was diagnosed learning disabled at a very young age, but my Momma always told me to keep trying and never give up. I struggled in school, but I did graduate at age 21, only to find I was now stuck at home because I couldn’t drive. Mom joined an at-home party company and I traveled with her as her assistant to shows for a few years unti
l one day we were at a vendor show and the vendor next to us was selling hand-made jewelry and she was working on a piece of jewelry at the show. I asked if I could watch her because it looked like something I wanted to learn how to do. She gave me the name of a store where she purchased her beading supplies and I convinced Mom to take me there the following week. I love to try new beading techniques and stitches and can’t wait to plan my next pieces. But if any of you know me, I am NOT a girly girl and don’t wear much if any jewelry. I know, poor salesmanship; but I love to see people’s reactions to the pieces I create and get so excited when I see people wearing my creations! The first beading style I learned is called Kumihimo. (This from Colleen at the vendor show I mentioned above.) I know, most of you will say "What's kumihimo?" Well, it’s a traditional Japanese technique of braiding strands of silk to create intricately colored cords. The very first looms, called takadai and marudai were quite large & unwieldy, but some weavers still prefer this method. Today, a modern kumihimo disk made of firm flexible foam plastic can be used as a portable marudai, and this is what I prefer to use. Braiders can create complex braids of up to 24 bobbins and incorporate beads in their weaves. The jewelry I design are woven mainly with 8 strands of strong S-LON and C-LON threads to form the braided necklace, and then beads are dropped on each crossover braid to form unique, one of a kind pieces of jewelry. Various types of specialty beads are used to create these intricate pieces of jewelry. You can use just about any type of beads, from intricate seed beads, specialty Magatama or Rizo beads, and even Swarovski crystals. Adding an array of different sized and colored beads creates a spectacular display, and the arrangement of these beads on each of the cords will determine the outcome. My favorite beading technique has become Peyote, which is an off-loom needle and thread beading technique. Peyote stitch may be worked with either an even or an odd number of beads in each row. Both even and odd count peyote pieces can be woven as flat strips, in a flat round shape, or as tubular peyote. A variation of peyote most commonly known as two-drop or three-drop can also be accomplished for a type of fast peyote. A new version of peyote was recently created called peyote with a twist. I have even done a few of these pieces which take several weeks to complete. Another favorite of mine…lampwork beads. Lampwork beads are made by melting narrow rods of glass by hand over an open flame (usually a torch). The glass is wrapped around a thin metal rod (a mandrel), which later becomes the hole through the bead. Many effects can be achieved through using various colors of glass and various techniques. I don’t make these beads personally, but I have found various artists across the globe that do spectacular work, and I then turn their artwork into spectacular one-of-a-kind pendants and necklaces just for you!
