classes

SPINY KNOTTED BRACELET
in person! in my studio!

December 8th  10-1

Topsham, Maine (I’ll give you the address when you register.)

We’ll use floss and waxed linen to bind beads and other treasures into a funky bracelet. Using a simple knot and a “bead soup”, students find an opportunity for self-expression because there’s no pattern to follow and the beads can vary in size, color and shape. Each student in the class creates a bracelet different from the others’. The unusual materials and larger bead sizes (a nice change from the intricate “seed bead” work) seem to level the playing field for beginners and long-time beaders. Limited to 10 students. 
You can BYOBeads or purchase a kit ($75) from Steph. 
She’ll provide paper instructions to bring home, beading boards and pins, good lighting, pastries and fun. 
stephanie@sssbeads.com or call 207.272.5774 to ask questions or register. 

Class in limited to 10 students. $75 (+materials)

DESIGNER’S WORKSHOP
my new  ZOOM masterclass!

In 2025, become the jewelry designer who you know lives inside you.

My new year-long design workshop is for jewelry makers of all abilities and media. 

With the support of an on-line classroom that students can access 24-7, I’ll fill your head with ideas and color schemes and new techniques. We’ll talk about the infinite world of materials and components available for beaded jewelry – metals, glass, resin, gemstones, wood, plastic, shells, fibers…and learn the methods to use them effectively in your own work. Most importantly, we’ll nurture your design sensibilities so you can make the materials sing in harmony.

We’ll meet for two or three hours (the first Sunday of) each month on Zoom, and I’ll give a little artist’s talk about a design topic or theme. It’ll be more like a conversation – with questions and tips and discussion. I’ll demonstrate a technique (wire-work, knotting, crimping, stitching, composition) to get us excited for a community design challenge. I’ll give you context for the technique – a few suggested (but optional) projects. After the demos, we’ll talk through considerations like wearability and fragility, as well as the different ways we work and practice…how to actually decide when it’s time to begin “making”. I love talking about pattern, form, color and design, and finally after 40 years of making jewelry, I feel I have a clear and teachable vocabulary and a huge repertoire of techniques to share. 

I will tell you my sources, make printable hand-outs and templates, post links to resources – all in our classroom. My hope is that you, the learning community, will share your own photos, trials, frustrations, questions and finished pieces. We might even have philosophical discussions – “Where do ideas come from?” “How do I find my own voice?” “When am I ready to sell stuff?”

How exciting to have a whole year to work together and inspire one another! 

And by the end of 2025, creativity abounds – in your own head and heart and hands. And you will have a network and community of beady friends. 

 You must register for the whole year – we are building a community and on-going discussion. We’re all in it together, and no one Zoom session could stand alone. (All 12 Zoom sessions will be recorded and the recordings will be available in the classroom.)$480 for the year. (Happy to charge 1/2 in December and 1/2 in June.)