Maggie Meister Workshops
July 14 - 17, 2018
This is a great treat to have Maggie Meister returning to Anchorage! As explained in the project descriptions below, Maggie's beautiful seed bead work is inspired by history--whether it be that of the Roman Empire or the Art Deco period. Maggie also leads Beadventures' trips to Italy, where she lived for five years in Naples.
Project samples will be on display at Alaska Bead Company in mid-May.
Classroom Location:
Pioneer School House, Anchorage
437 E 3rd Ave (Eagle and Third Avenue)
Classroom: Enter via front steps from parking lot
Chain for Lady Blanche
Saturday, July 14 - $95.00
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
What Maggie writes about this project . . .
“During one of my visits to Stitch n’ Craft Beads in Dorset, England, I was shown a book from a Museum of London exhibition about the “Cheapside Hoard” that immediately inspired me!
The “Cheapside Hoard is a collection of jewelry from the late-16th and early-17th centuries that was discovered in 1912 by workmen excavating in a cellar at 30-32 Cheapside in London. They found a buried wooden box with more than 400 pieces of Elizabethan and Jacobean jewelry, including chains, with colored gemstones and enameled gold settings. The entire hoard was displayed together for the first time in more than 100 years at the Museum of London from October 2013 to April 2014.
When researching for a project, it seems I always am brought to the women of all eras. Queen Elizabeth I is one of my favorites. I was reading about the women who were her ladies-in-waiting and I found Blanche Parry to be very interesting. For 56 years she was the Chief Gentlewoman of Queen Elizabeth I’s Privy Chamber and Keeper of Her Majesty’s Jewels and the Queen’s companion. I like to think she wore a chain like those found in the Cheapside Hoard.”
Techniques used: Variation of Huichol Stitch, Peyote, and Cubic Right Angle Weave (CRAW).
Kits will be available; $70 (payable in class)
Tamara Cuff
Sunday, July 15 - $95.00
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
What Maggie writes about this project . . .
“Art Deco was the era of flappers, fashion, music, and politics, and at the same time it was when the stock market crashed in 1929 followed by many years of The Great Depression. I have always loved the geometric lines and angles of that era’s designs, which was very different from the fluid lines of the previous Art Nouveau period (I adore this period also). The Art Deco Era became a recognized movement with the Exposition International des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes that was held in Paris in 1925, which was largely dedicated to the jewelry arts.
Inspiration for this cuff is Tamara de Lempicka, one of the foremost painters of the Art Deco period. Her canvas portraits of the famous socialites of Europe is believed to have created the style now known as Art Deco.”
Techniques used: Cubic Right Angle Weave (CRAW), Flat and Circular Peyote Stitch, embellishing 8mm Swarovski Chatons, and capturing 3mm cup chain.
Kits will be available; $70 (payable in class)
Art Deco Revival Necklace
Part 1: Monday July 16
Part 2: Tuesday, July 17
$95.00
5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. each night
What Maggie writes about this project . . .
"I love the Art Deco period of both adornment and architecture! The severe lines and geometric shapes are fun to recreate with beads. The necklace was inspired by an architectural feature found in many Art Deco buildings."
Students will learn to capture a coin-shaped bead in a circular peyote bezel. Each component is made by building off of the focal coin with Brick Stitch using 3 colors. The chain is made with Double St. Petersburg stitch using tiny square beads.
Techniques Used: Peyote and Brick Stitch.
Kits will be available; $90 (payable in class)
About Maggie Meister . . .
"The love of ancient history, color and patterns have followed me throughout my life and my designs have come to fruition during the time my family and I lived in Italy. In looking back, beads have always been a part of my life – from playing with Mardi Gras beads, to collecting semi-precious stones as a young girl, to my love of ancient and ethnic jewelry as I became older. Today seed beads have become the medium I use to translate my sources of inspiration into personal designs for adornment.
When living in Naples, Italy, I was surrounded by ancient history. The fragments of Roman columns, mosaics and frescoes are my inspiration and I am grateful for those “ancient voices”. Translating these voices into designs fills my days with joy and wonder and I cherish my “connection” with the past. Teaching and beading are ways for me to share this wonderful experience and bring those voices of the past into the present." -- Maggie Meister
In addition to teaching around the United States and Europe, Maggie leads Beadventures to Italy each year. Her book, "Classical Elegance," was released in August 2011. Her work was featured in the October 2012 issue of Ornament magazine and Maggie was a 2013 “Designer of the Year” for Beadwork Magazine. Learn more about Maggie and her work at her
gallery.