Thoughts on Leather Wrap Bracelet Class

Hi all!

For those of you just tuning in; I took a class at Off the Beaded Path Bead Store in Forest City, NC last night. I arrived a few minutes early(shocker) and took my seat. The instructor Kelly Dale had a table set up with clipboards with our names on them, an extra clamp,and an instructional DVD she had made. As each person arrived, she guided us to pick out our beads(she started us out with round 6mm druks or gemstones of our choosing), cord(leather or plastic-no silk or satin as they don't provide enough structure) and matching or contrasting silk thread. I chose black leather cord with matching black silk thread and Jungle Jasper beads. We also had the option of making our bracelet a single or a double wrap. You can make the bracelet even longer to wrap 3 or more times around the wrist but we had to keep in mind our time constraints so we could learn to close off the end before class was over. I chose to make a double wrap bracelet.
Kelly had created several beautiful bracelets already as examples and to show us the options we had in making our bracelets different and unique as we learned. It was a small class of myself and 4 other ladies plus Kelly our instructor. That made it easier for Kelly to provide us with one-on-one attention when we needed it. And, believe me, some of us needed it! Especially me! It took a few minutes to get the hang of what we were doing but, after that, things moved right along. The class did run over a little but Kelly never complained or made us feel rushed at all. We each had time to finish our bracelet to the appropriate length and close off for the end.

I didn't know any of the other ladies in the class with the exception of Kelly but they were all very nice. I enjoyed the camaraderie of the class and I loved going home with a new skill under my belt! The DVDs Kelly created for us ensured we will have a back-up study guide if we forget anything we learned in class.

Upon completion of the class, I was hooked! I bought supplies to make 2 more bracelets. One will have white leather cord and matching white silk thread and 6mm round blue and white sodalite beads. The other will have purple cord, black silk thread and blue iris 6mm druks. I can't wait to make them!

Besides meeting new friends and learning a new skill, I also got to come home with a brand new piece of jewelry on my arm that I created! What could be more fulfilling than that?!

Thanks for reading my blog! :)


There's no retirement for an artist, it's your way of living so there's no end to it.
::: Henry Moore :::