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GrandmaMarilyn Bead Pattern Designer

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Beading Comes First

When I first started beading back in the 1980's (mostly earrings), my favorite saying was "I need a pattern to bead...I don't have a creative bone in my body." I had started going to craft shows with my MIL and was selling soft sculpture dolls. I wanted something else to sell and found a crystal earring book at the now defunct Winns store. I started making those to sell. As a matter of fact, I still have some of those earrings. Somewhere along the line, I quit beading and started up other crafts. I started beading again toward the end of 2005 and joined a lot of beading groups. See the pretties below in the slide show.

Check Out The Lovely Jewelry

Grandma Marilyn has beaded

Where To Purchase Ready To Wear Jewelry

Beaded by Grandma Marilyn

If you are interested in any of my beautiful beadwork, I have them for sale at the following shops:

Ecrater Ready To Wear Jewelry Shop
Zibbet Shop

If you can't find what you are looking for, just email me and I will be glad to help you. I am special order friendly and will recreate anything in the size you want or color you want if at all possible. Enjoy my beadwork and if you have any problems, do not hesitate to contact me.

Wonderful Books On Beadweaving

To Help You With Your Beading

Joining Etsy Beadweavers Team

My Entry Into Bead Pattern Designing

In May 2008, I joined an Etsy group called the Etsy Beadweavers (EBW). One of the requirements for being a member of EBW is to create a design using a specific theme, bead it up, and place it for sale in their Etsy shop for sale with a blurp about the monthly challenge in the description The member has to do, at least, one of these challenges a year. I didn't any of the challenges at first as I didn't think I could design a jewelry pattern. I did my part by blogging and tweeting the voting on the EBW blog each month. I also created wonderful treasuries to showcase their jewelry. There was so much beauty in their shops.

My First Bead Pattern Design

To Be Entered In The EBW Challenge

Then the time came where I had to create a design for the challenge so it could be voted on in the next month's blog. So I decided in July that it was time that I did my entry for the August challenge. I had bought a bead program called BeadTool and so decided I would use that to make my entry. The theme was Art Deco. I liked that theme and came up with quite a few potential patterns for it. The one I picked was a design that my daughter had created but I did some major revisions on it. I called this entry Diamonds and Triangles.

I had problems getting the entry beaded up. Finally, at 11:50 CST, I got my entry in. I thought I had made the deadline only to find that the deadline was 12:00 EST not CST. So I missed that deadline. I was so disappointed.

My Second Bead Pattern Design

To Be Entered Into An EBW Challenge

I didn't get discouraged though. I created another design for the September Challenge called Complementary Contradictions. I thought about this and came up with what I considered a complementary contradiction. The bracelet I created was called Pin Stripes And Flowers. How did I consider this a complementary contradiction? Back when I was younger, we didn't wear pin stripes (or any stripes) with a pattern that was a definite no-no. Now they are considered to go together great.

I made the deadline this time. I didn't win but that is ok. I accomplished what I set out to do.

Bead Pattern Designer

At Last

I hadn't started selling bead patterns as yet but I was designing them myself. I still couldn't bead without a pattern but the pattern was of my own creation. I was so excited. I still didn't think people would want to buy them. My EBW friends told me that I should sell them but I still didn't believe in myself enough to sell them. Two designers finally convinced me that I should sell my patterns.

The first was Glenda Payseno. She runs a Yahoo bead group called Beadchat.

The second was Marie (Orvick) Starr. She did a lot of talking with me and helped me to put my bead designs into PDF patterns. Once I got them to her specifications, she helped me by putting them in her shop, Starr Design Studio. She was in the process of designing a new bead pattern designer's studio that would allow bead pattern designers to get together and sell their patterns. I was one of the first designers to be added to the list to be included. In June 2009, Marie opened Bead Patterns Boutique. Currently, we have 12 bead pattern designers. There have been others that joined us and gone on on to other venues. We will have many more join us in the future.

Marie also started a Yahoo group where we could let the beading customers know what patterns we were uploading and to help them with any problems they might have been having at about the same time she started the site. Come join the fun if you love beading. We have Bingo, Pink Light Trivia, and other fun activities every so often. Only our forum members know what is going on.

Stained Glass Accessory Set Bead Pattern E-book

For Sale Soon

The newest accessory set which includes the pen wrap, lighter cover and lip balm cover with a beautiful stained glass design will be up for sale soon. Working on a few last minute kinks and it will become available for those beaders that want to save some money by buying the complete set instead of each pattern individually. Bought individually, it will cost $15.50. When bought in the e-book format, the three bead patterns will only cost your $12.50....a savings of $3.00.

These Stained Glass Accessory Sets make wonderful gifts for either men or women.

If you would like to have a set either for yourself or to give as a gift for someone else, contact me and I will bead a set up for you.

Gift Items For Beaders

Know A Beader You Would LIke To Buy One For?

Grandma Marilyn's Bead Designs

Check them out

curated content from Flickr

Where To Find Bead Patterns

Designed By Grandma Marilyn

Since then, I have my bead patterns in several venues. You can find my patterns in the following venues:

Grandma Marilyn At The Boutique
The Bead Coop - Grandma Marilyn
Ecrater Bead Pattern Shop

If you can't find what you are looking for, just email me and I will be glad to help you. I will modify the patterns for you if you would like them longer, narrower, etc. Enjoy my bead patterns and if you have any problems, do not hesitate to contact me.

Bead Patterns Boutique

now has a translator for those beading customers that would like to buy a pattern but can't read English. You will find the Google Translator on the right side upper part of the site. Just select the language you need to see the information in.

Bead Angels

A Bead Pattern Designers Greatest Tool

They are also called Bead Fairies. But, I would rather call them my Bead Angels because they are a blessing. I have had many Bead Angels help me with making sure my bead patterns are easy to read and use. They also send me pictures to use in my pattern of the prototype they beaded for me. I am going to list my Bead Angels and one of the patterns they tested here for you as my way of showing my appreciation to them. They are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

Jean Baer was Bead Angel for the following pattern: Hearts Accessory Set eBook.

Carolyn DeGroff was my Bead Angel for the following pattern: Reindeer Pen Wrap. She was already a bead pattern designer in her own right when she was my Bead Angel for this pattern. Hopefully I will have 2 more patterns and an ebook from her in the future. She is also the owner and moderator of the Yahoo Bead Group Seedbeadersters.

Llweyn Friars was one of my first Bead Angels. She moved on to become a bead pattern designer herself. Click on her name to go see her patterns. She was my Bead Angel for the following pattern: Black Dragon Amulet Bag Panel Bead Pattern.

Helen Jolly was my Bead Angel for the following bead pattern: Diamonds & Triangles Accessory Set eBook.

Candys McCulley was my Bead Angel for Floral Pony Business Card Sleeve. She moved on to become a bead pattern designer herself. Click on her name to go see her patterns.

Angelique Metz, my daughter, was my Bead Angel for the following bead pattern: Rose Bud Pen Wrap Bead Pattern.

Penney Ripley was my Bead Angel for the following pattern: Butterfly & Flower Amulet Bag Panel Bead Pattern.

Ellen Roskopp was my Bead Angel for the following bead pattern: Colorful Flower Petals Bracelet Bead Pattern.

Pat Tipton aka Mama Hen was my Bead Angel for all of my cowboy and cowgirl patterns. Here is one that she beaded for me: Cowboy Accessory Set eBook

Tammy Uren is the Bead Angel for the following pattern: Crosses Accessory Set eBook.

What Is Your Favorite Design

These Photos Are Of The Prototypes Of My Bead Patterns

The very last picture of the black and white pin stripes with flowers is not a pattern yet. Still figuring out how to do it with the embellishments. But, I wanted to put it out there for everyone to see because it will be the prototype for the pattern once I create it.