Name: Meg
Thompson
Shop: abeadedworld
Location: Australia
Please
introduce yourself to the readers: I’m Meg, 20 years old (in June). I’m a University student here in
Australia studying science, with dreams to be a medical researcher. I love
music (I play flute), reading (I have the makings of a library already!),
writing and, of course, beading! I come from a family of 6, 4 children. I love
God and thank Him every day for this beading gift.
How
long have you been beading?
I’ve always been into beading as a kid. My
first project was a memory wire bracelet. But I’ve been doing it seriously,
with a passion (obsession?) for about 5
years now.
When
did you first try bead embroidery as a technique?
About April/May
2011. I saw a bead embroidered collar in an issue of Bead and Button magazine
and wanted to make one. But I couldn’t work out how to do it (I had ideas about
large peyote stitched components, or netting, I never guessed fabric would be
involved!). A friend put me onto Etsy, and I searched around for items like the
one I’d seen. And found Kinga Nichols’ shop! I asked her about one of her
collars and she put me onto a book called “The Art of Bead Embroidery” by
Sherri Serafini and Heidi Kummli (so that’s what it’s called… Nothing to do
with peyote stitch at all :P) I ordered it from Amazon, read it, and that was
it! I was hooked. My first ever bead embroidered project was “Colours of
Autumn,” part of my Season’s Collection.
Why
do you like bead embroidery?
I like the freedom
it gives me to design anything I want and for it to come out how I want it.
With bead weaving I feel restricted by not knowing how to manipulate stitches,
etc, to design some brand new piece, like I see so many people do. But with
bead embroidery, I can! Also, it seems to work up faster than bead weaving,
which is great if I ever need something in a hurry (most of the time…).
What
are your inspirations and influences?
Nature is good
inspiration, I love flowers; the colour of a cabochon, matched with a few other
beads, is enough to sprout a whole design in my head; the shape of a focal bead
or cabochon; the patterns in gemstones; a picture you see somewhere; an event
in life. I have a soft spot for blues, especially teal-blues. And I love
beading for a cause. Themes are great inspirations, like the Bead Fest theme.
When making gifts for people, a great inspiration is the person’s personality;
making something that totally suits the receiver in every way brings such
satisfaction and pleasure.
What
are your favorite materials?
Seed beads!! I
love seed beads, always have. Before I got into bead weaving, I remember
writing myself craft shopping lists to “buy bigger beads” But I never did. I also love gemstones (my favourites would
have to be Blue-Goldstone and Lapis Lazuli), and polymer clay (a skill in which
I am slowly developing).
What
defines your style?
Fun and stylish, I
like to try new things, and venture out of the “norm.” I don’t really know how
to really describe my style. It’s simply ME. Mostly dainty things, or at least
having some dainty component, usually show up in most of my work. I’m not typically a wild girl. You’ll find a
lot of my work is very symmetrical; I find it hard to branch out and do
abstract.
What
are your future goals with beading?
I want to develop bead embroidery further,
and start trying newer techniques such as negative space and crazy shapes, for example.
With bead weaving in general, I’d love to be able to feel totally comfortable
with it that I can start designing my own COMPLETE designs, instead of pulling
designs for a million different sources.
I’d also like to further develop a skill in
polymer clay, as I love the stuff and would love to be able to be competent in
it. And I also have desires to learn lamp working; think of all the things I
could create then!! And then, once I’m good at all these things, I’d like to be
able to use a combination of all these techniques! And I’d love to be able to
write a book. J
I have plans of making beaded dolls dresses
and houses, more wall hangings, bags, maybe the odd beaded quilt, and of course
jewellery, in the future. Recently I went to Venice and I came home with 10
Venetian mask bases, which I plan to make beaded venetian (or other) masks from
(I made a mask in August last year and it got me so hooked). I don’t believe
that beading, especially bead weaving and bead embroidery, is just restricted
to jewellery making. It is that, and so much more…