Why Classes & Kits?
Valerie Explains.
Why Classes and Kits? Here’s a short answer:
To share the joy I used to feel as a kid every time I opened a new beadwork kit. My world seemed to expand. I loved the act of making with beads. Now, I’m sharing my joy with other creators. My people, my tribe.
For a longer answer, please read my comments below.
Let me begin at the beginning. By the time I was 5, I loved playing with beads. Here I am on Halloween Day in 1965, ready to go trick-or-treating. I remember my father, Louis G. Hector Sr., taking this photo of me outside our mint-green bungalow in Park Ridge, IL. I was proud of my cowgirl outfit with its bright, shiny tin sheriff badge. My older brother, Louis G. Hector Jr., accompanied me as we went, dressed as a cowboy of course.
My first beads were large and made of colored wood. They came packed in a cylindrical cardboard Playskool container dated 1965. (I still have it - my mother saved it.) I used to sit and string them…and unstring them…and string them again in a new pattern. I loved the shoelace that came with them because it looked like a candy cane. I carried my beads with me wherever I went. My obsession grew to the point where my my mother became concerned. Was something wrong with her daughter? Should she call a psychiatrist?
The same beads form part of my earliest self-portrait, also from ca. 1965. In fact, I embodied myself in beads, drawing a big oval Playskool bead for a torso, and a small round bead for my neck. My eyes are wide open with love above my very broad smile. If I’ve got my beads, I seem to be feeling, then all is right with the world. Fortunately, my mother didn’t call a psychiatrist. In time, my obsession with beads calmed down, as she sensed it probably would.
My Playskool beads figure in this crayon drawing as well, ca. mid- 1960s. I seem to be in a universe filled with colorful beads floating in space - a map of my cosmos with me at the center, represented by “Val,” my family nickname. Today, this childhood drawing brings to mind Indra’s Net, the imaginary, glittering web connecting all entities in the cosmos in a bejeweled, 3-dimensional net, an idea first formulated in India in the first millennium BC. Many artists have imagined what Indra’s Web looks like - as this Google image page shows. It’s a wondrous thing to contemplate, especially in light of recent photos of distant galaxies newly captured by the James Webb Space Telescope,
And then, in 1971, when I was 11, my love of beads returned to stay, thanks to a book my parents gave me. On the few, modest pages of Simply Beads: An Introduction to the Art of Beading from North and Central America, Africa, and the Middle East, by Betty J. Weber and Anne Duncan, I met pieces of beadwork from around the world, plus diagrams of simple bead netting techniques. I was thrilled. Here was a way to discover the world while doing something I loved. For the first time, I discovered that other people loved it too. My people, my tribe. I felt like we spoke the same language.
I began teaching myself how to do the netting and weaving techniques in the book. Soon, I began riffing on them, seeing what my beads could do. To this day, I remember how happy I felt while beading on the floor of my childhood room - and the joy each discovery brought. The hours flew by. I sensed infinite potential, along with profound inner peace. I didn’t have the words to say this back then, but beadwork is by nature a meditative endeavor, harmonizing body, spirit and mind while inviting the soul to expand, the imagination to wander.
Realizing that my love for beads was still very real, my parents began giving me more books - and kits! For making French-style beaded flowers like the one shown here, which my mother saved for so many years. No matter how trivial these early pieces look to me now, they held great joy for me then. Occasional trips to the local craft store were marvelous days in my life. I found many beading kits to desire at Tom Thumb Hobby & Crafts on David Street in Evanston, IL. In fact, it was still a beader’s oasis when it moved to Niles, IL in 2014. One of these days, I’ll go for a visit.
And I made beaded Christmas ornament kits, several new kits each year. Some had sequins under the beads - so shiny and festive. The minute I finished one kit, I began wanting another. Again, I salute my mother for saving these humble creations for decades, until I could realize how important they were in my creative development as part of my earliest training. They taught me to love working with my hands as they challenged my mind.
I also made safety pin jewelry, following the instruction books of the day - like the one shown here, dated 1973. To stock up on kits, beads and safety pins, my Mom and I made many trips to Leewards, a craft store founded in 1947 in Elgin, IL. In 1994, it was purchased by Michael’s. Leewards had a very large bead department, with countless colors to choose from. A place I wanted to be.
However kitschy they seem to me now, the kits I made in my youth were part of my growth as an artist. Part of how, many years later, a dozen or so of my beaded beads were include in the “River of Beads” that graces the dust jacket of Lois Sherr Dubin’s famous book, The History of Beads from 100,000 BC to the Present (2nd Revised & Expanded Edition, Harry N. Abrams, New York, 2009). My work appears inside the book too - and in its famous Bead Time Line.
Those childhood kits also prepared me to make pieces like this. In this “Swallows” brooch, I combined sterling silver, glass and Chinese water caltrop seed pod beads with forms I fabricated from sterling silver sheet.
And pieces like this “Lotus Alhambra” brooch, which combines sterling silver and European glass beads.
And this “Bodhi” Brooch in sterling silver.
Several things set my kits apart from other kits in the world. In the first place, I like to provide historical context for the structure I’m teaching. Nothing intense, just basic background, situating the structure in time, culture, and space. For example, the structure I call “The Frieda Bead” originated in China in the early 21st century. I believe it’s important to credit the original creators. At left, the two plastic bead ornaments I found in China many years ago…that taught me the structure I now call “The Frieda.” By the same token, when I offer kits based on structures I’ve invented myself, I explain my creative process.
Second, because I’ve spent 30 years as a professional art jeweler, I favor professional findings and finishing touches. Even if they’re a bit more expensive or labor intensive. I believe they are worth it. I also believe in giving you design options when possible. For example, you can design your Frieda Earrings to be long, as shown at right, or short, if you prefer. You know what works best for you.
Third, I like to name my structures after a woman artist or writer, such as architect Zaha Hadid. Seeing what visionary women have accomplished - and how they’ve lived their lives - inspires us all, I believe. They become our heroes, our mentors-at-a-distance. When I feature images such as the one at left in the instruction pages of my kits, I always secure formal reproduction rights first, which often redound to the artist’s estate.
Fourth, I make sure my kits stay true to my standards and visual aesthetic, which have set me apart as a jewerly artist on the national scene for the last 35 years - and helped me win prestigious awards. I insist on the highest quality beads and findings. I believe you appreciate the best I can offer. That you’re open to new shapes and ideas. Also, to working in sterling silver beads like the ones in the Zahah Earrings at right. I realize they might cost a bit more. But I think you’ll agree. If you’re going to spend hours making a kit, the result should be worth all the effort.
Fifth, each kit comes with a link to a step-by-step video course lasting an hour or more. My mentor in this process is Laura McCabe, who’s generously shared her process with me. Laura’s students love her video courses, in which she acts as their guide. We both know what it feels like to wish for a guide when we start something new. I’m happy to be your guide. You’ll be looking over my shoulder, watching each step as my hands slowly construct each form, one or more beads at a time. As I proceed, I explain, offering tips and advice…and solving problems in real time, showing you easy solutions.
Sixth, I take the hard out of learning. Your video class includes printable, step-by-step instructions and diagrams. With each round of my pre-publish edits, the steps get clearer and easier to follow. Just ask Shannon Test, my ace beta-tester - she knows! So does Carrie Iverson, my longtime graphic designer. (To view their profiles, scroll down the About page of this site.) The three of us keep editing until your success is ensured. You’ll find the same high quality of instructions in my Classes and Kits that I offered in my 2005 book, The Art of Beadwork: Historic Inspiration, Contemporary Design.
Seventh, when possible, I let you choose between sterling silver and glass beads. Both types of beads have advantages. Sterling silver beads emphasize the beautiful FORM of the structure you’re making. Plus, sterling beads rarely split! Glass beads come in glorious COLOR. But glass beads can split when they’re too full of thread. You can avoid this dilemma by never forcing a needle through a bead that’s already full. Not sure whether you’re more into FORM or COLOR? Maybe you love BOTH? Double your enjoyment - order two kinds of kits.
Eighth, I believe in attractive packaging. You deserve it. Each time you order a kit, it’s like you’re gifting yourself. Enhancing your creative potential. Advancing your personal growth. Not to mention, your sense of adornment. The kind that your friends will notice on you - as they compliment you on your style. Who knows? New conversations might even begin, with people you’re happy to meet.
Ninth, I’ve made my website easy to use. It’s easy, placing an order. If you ever have an issue, just send me a note. Most days, I respond pretty quickly. If I can’t fix it, my webmaster, Angela Reeder, will. In the blink of an eye.
Why Classes and Kits? For the joy they bring to our lives. The meaning they bring to our world, to our everyday conversations. I look forward to connecting with you. To smiling at the thought of another new kit…just as my model and friend Cassandra Nelson is smiling here, while wearing her Frida Bead earrings. Subscribe to my Class & Kit Updates below, if you’d like to keep staying in touch. You’re also welcome to send me a note - by clicking on “Contact” at the top of this page.
Know what else? Learning new things is good for your brain! Learning forms new connections in your brain - which enriches your power to think. So, when you do one of my kits, you’re stimulating neuroplasticity, which is important at any age - but becomes even more important with every passing year. The internet offers many articles on this fascinating topic. Here’s one from Psychology Today. As I mentioned above, beading settles us into a meditative state, calming the mind, body and soul. It’s a wonderful break from our ever-more stressful world. Which is also good for our brains! In short, beading is good for you!
Left: this is your brain on beadwork!
A few more words before I go. After you complete one of my Classes and Kits, you’re free to make other versions of the same structure. Incorporate them into your designs. Sell them if you wish. You’re also welcome to invent your own variations, even design totally different kits of your own. So don’t overthink it. Start now. Jump in. Place your first order here. You’ll be so glad you did. Where will it lead? To positive things. A challenge, mastered with pride. An ever more beautiful you. With more possibilities in your world. More ways to express who you really are - and connect with your tribe.
Not sure if my designs are right for you? Not to worry. Take your time. Meanwhile, enjoy these bon mots from Iris Apfel, style icon extraordinaire and all-around beautiful lady - the lady we all want to be when we grow up!
“Never be afraid to stop traffic.”
“More is more and less is a bore.”
“Fashion you buy. Style you possess.”
“I don’t dress to be stared at. I dress for me.”
And take a quick look at this new video trailer that my team and I just finished, featuring my Frieda Bead Earring Kits.
Or this trailer, for the Sterling Silver Mayah Necklace Class & Kit that we’re preparing now, for launch in late July.