Mystical beadings
I use my intuition about people to create my art. And my art, as I see it, is not the individual bag that I make, but rather, the feeling that is created in someone when they receive a bag. A feeling that they are special, that they are treasured, that they are loved. This is my art.
Each amulet bag,(medicine bag or spirit bag) is made with love, positive thoughts and healing energy for the recipient . The two sides may not match each other, but always, both sides match the person receiving the amulet bag. Inside, I slip a charm, but make sure that there is lots of room left so people can put in their hopes and dreams, to quote Debbie Mandel .
The bags are strong enough to be worn regularly, but people hang them over mirrors on the dresser, on a bulletin board, on a door handle or wherever. If they do break, I am always prepared to repair them, that way I can learn about my workmanship and my materials.
For the most part, I use my own designs, and when designs are used from pictures, I try to use my own pictures. All designs here are my own unless otherwise labeled.
When I first started beading, the only pattern maker that I could find for Mac computers was Stitch Painter. It was very expensive but served its purpose. Recently, I have discovered Beadtool and am very happy with it. The result is better, it is easier to work with, and the designer, Christopher Litts is constantly upgrading and always available on the end of an email to help solve problems. It is also extremely affordable, and you get to try it before buying it. There are animated tutorials which make things wonderfully clear, and yes, it is available for both PC and Mac.
Commissioning an amulet bag.
If you would like to have a bag made for someone, I need to know:
something about them
about their personality
what is important to them
what do they like to do
what are they involved in
who is important to them
what is happening in their lives at this time.
and a few of their favourite colours.
I take this information and internalized it, until a design suited for this individual forms in my mind. I then create a pattern and bead it from there. Sometimes a vision pops into my brain right away, sometimes it takes a few weeks.
I have, on occasion, repeated a version of a pattern especially when I first started beading, but try to do only one of each pattern. One side may be similar to another bag, but the other side then would be different.