Welcome to BEADWORK!

My warmest welcome to all who enter our Beadwork forum!

If I could spread before you some freshly baked cupcakes to get our conversations rolling, I would. It's what I often do here in the office to reward our editors for their devotion to adding to the pleasures of beading. For all of us, there is no firm line drawn between the work we love and our "off-campus" beading lives. We are so fortunate. We are also supported and inspired by each of you who have such an abiding passion for beading.

Before this forum launched, my best opportunity to have a two-way conversation with you was to meet you at a bead store or bead event. But, of course, those encounters only allowed me to reach a few of our thousands of readers! Now, all of our editors for all the Interweave beading publications are poised to visit with you on a more regular basis. Going back to my cupcakes, I have high hopes we will all learn so much from one another--and find it to be delicious.

As we get acquainted, I look forward to stepping into some of your conversations to find out which projects in Beadwork feed your soul--or don't satisfy, what products (new or not) turn you on, what kinds of bead community stories you'd like to hear about, which designers you admire, what tips you have to share, and so much more. In fact, with the launch of this forum, it feels like a huge window has been opened in our sometimes-stuffy little editorial offices, offering us the best view in town and the very best company. I'm posting this today, May 29, 2008. My welcome and my invitation to share, have fun, and help shape our future issues of Beadwork Magazine will never go out of date. Please make yourself at home!

Marlene Blessing, editor in chief of Beadwork Magazine

 

Well, I guess I'll be the first to step up and earn one of those cupcakes! :-) -- First, let me say that "Beadwork" is my favorite of the bead magazines. I also buy and enjoy [may I say the name?] "Bead & Button," but "Beadwork" is usually a little more up my particular alley. So... thank you for a wonderful publication! -- For me, the magazine is all about projects. I love learning about the history of beading, the way beads are (or were) made, and the leading designers in the beading community -- but only after I've wrung every last bit of inspiration and education out of the PROJECTS! =D That's what I want most from the magazine: new things to try the next time I sit down to bead! -- Although I like to read about other techniques too, my primary interests are off-loom beadweaving and wirework. You can never have too many seedbead projects for me! -- On the other hand, I could do with fewer crystals. It seems as if there are more projects than ever lately that call for crystals -- and usually so MANY crystals that the cost is simply prohibitive. Sometimes the techniques can be adapted to other kinds of beads, though, which is great. Just a few quick thoughts, in case they're helpful. Thanks for listening!

 

Thanks for the welcome (and the cupcakes) Marlene!

Two years ago when I was nervously contemplating submitting some projects to a US beading magazine, I picked Beadwork as the lucky recipient of my clueless submission letter and badly lit photo prints, because it came across as such a friendly publication, staffed by enthusiastic, happy, creative people who were absolutely nuts about beads and might at least let me down gently... but much to my surprise they accepted one of my designs straight away. Not only that, but I was given such a warm reception, plus lots of great advice and help, and now the magazine is a big part of my beading life and I've gone on to have projects published in other places too. So a big thankyou is due to Marlene and her team for their continuing support of my work. One day I hope to make it 'across the pond' to meet you all in person!

Carol, it is such music to my ears to hear someone else say they can never have enough seed bead projects! I get very tired of reading comments that there is too much seed beading in this or that magazine. Most of my projects are beadwoven and I love to find out what other people do with seed beads (those Masterclasses have been particularly inspirational!) although I do like to read the wirework and stringing projects too, as those are techniques I struggle with. From my point of view Beadwork has got the balance exactly right - keep up the good work!

(Oh, and please don't give up your lovely hand-drawn diagrams, I hate those computer-generated ones and find them much harder to follow!)

 

...Nemeton wrote: "(Oh, and please don't give up your lovely hand-drawn diagrams, I hate those computer-generated ones and find them much harder to follow!)" ...And I second the motion! I love those good clear diagrams, in the style that I believe was established by Dustin Wedekind. (I sure miss Bead Boy, by the way... any chance he'll make a comeback?)

Well, this is probably silly of me. I look so forward to Beadwork that I can hardly wait for it to come out every SIXTY DAYS [i.e., FOREVER ;-)]... but y'know why I've never subscribed? It's because I'm afraid one of two things will happen: 1. The first subscription issue I receive will be one I've already bought, so... a waste. OR 2. While waiting for my first subscription issue to arrive, I'll see the new issue on the newsstand and have to [ulp] resist it! =O AUGH! But it just occurred to me that in these digital days, your subscription database can probably specify the issue to start with, so I'll know it won't be a duplicate. If that's possible, it would solve Issue 1... and okay, okay, I guess I can TRY to be a grownup about Issue 2... ;-)

I feel the same way.  I absolutely love the magazine, and it is so hard to wait those 60 days until the next issue!!!  Hehehe...

I have to say, I loved the December/January issue, and the February/March issue.  Unfortunately for me, I got the Feb/March issue the day before I went into labor.  I thought, sure, I'll pack it in my suitcase and take it to the hospital with me so I have something to read while I'm whiling away the hours until I come home.  (Can you tell already that this was my first baby?!)  Anyway, I wound up having a c-section and in the chaos that ensued with coming home, recuperating from the surgery and everything else that goes along with having a newborn, when my husband tried to help by unpacking my suitcase, he lost the issue!!!    So, I'm just gonna have to order it as a back issue one of these days...

Love these forums, too!  Woo-hoo for Beadwork!

-Jen

 

I really love Beadwork  ! The projects are always gorgeous and the step by step instructions very clear !

This magazine is one of my favorite ones !!!

 

we have nothing in France !

Ha! I just noticed this in the current issue and laughed out loud: in the page 6 photo of Jennifer Rodriguez's version of the Egyptian Nefertiti bracelet, she has arranged the two "arms" coming off the centerpiece of the bracelet in the classic "walk like an Egyptian" position! =D

Intentional or otherwise, what a perfect visual pun!

While making sure I had read all the posts on this site, I hit this one

Beadwork was my first choice for a beading magazine -- yes, I looked at some of those ""others"".  I have since added Step by Step wire [for my wife :-)].

I too like the easy to follow diagrams, although I sometimes need to start over and watch more closely, the OOLD eyes aint what they usta be!

Stan B.

 I get this one and SBS Wire for me and SBS Beads for my daughter that I am trying my best to into. She has such a great eye for everything and often tells me when i am going with the wrong color, size, kind, etc, but she cares nothing for making it, just laying it out. I've never heard of a designer that did not also create, but we may have our first. Now, If I can just make what she draws.

 Thisis one of the better mags that i've read. I found several of Interweave's titles at my local grocery store and that really surprised me. There are also a couple of their biggest competitor's that aren't bad either. That's probably why they are in the biggest competition with each other, eh? Doh!

 Billy ;o)

Maybe you can help her to sell the patterns.  At least to begin with.

Stan B.

 Boy ya'll are making it HARD for me to wait on my first issue - it seems like it has been ages since I subscribed!  My first issue was to be mailed today.

Paula