Outline and Course Outcomes:

Techniques learned: tubular Chenille and Peyote, Cubic Right Angle.

High points: how to add flares to a beaded rope, by nestling smaller or larger spheres into the bead mesh.

Creative thinking will be encouraged by stimulating the ideation of patterns within a basic weaving technique.

Breakdown of topics to be taught in each class:

First class is aimed to demonstrate the primary stitch, a Tubular Chenille, which can be used to create an entire section of the lariat necklace, by simply transitioning back and forth to a larger size of seed beads, to create a pattern.

The second stitch, tubular Peyote, (which students will probably know already, as it’s a basic technique in bead weaving), will serve to create an alternate pattern within the Chenille.

At this point instructor will demonstrate how to make stripes, changing the beads's color, in an alternate fashion, and finally will illustrate how to nestle 3mm spheres in a Peyote mesh.

Students will continue their work at home in between classes, with the help of the compendium "Transitioning Between Stitches".

In the second class instructor will demonstrate a third stitch, called Cubic Right Angle Weave (CRAW), which is the most challenging of the three, and allows to transition from Chenille to create a thinner section in the rope, from which a Peyote pattern can originate. This transition instructor playfully called "socks", because it mimics woolen socks pulled up to the knee, and it’s typically striped, like socks.

The last part of this session will be dedicated to the demonstration of how to nestle dangling spheres, which are characteristic of Maracole's original design.

Artist’s Bio: Born and raised in Italy, Mara graduated in Rome with a specialization in Drawing Animation and game design from IED. She worked in the animation industry till 2008, when she took the chance to relocate to Los Angeles, CA, with the aim to consolidate her career in children entertainment. Instead, she started making visual art and exhibiting her work in local galleries, specializing in Pop Surrealism.

Mara experimented with many medium over a decade, until she discovered seed beads. Since 2019, Maracole Bijoux, a line of high end handwoven jewelry, is her main endeavor. She exhibited her work at The Smithsonian’s Craft Show this year, and her collections have been featured in magazines dedicated to art and fashion.

One of her necklaces is in the permanent collection of the Musuem of Beadwork in Portland, Oregon.

Mara teaches workshops in person and on zoom across in the USA since 2021.