Beads Up North Festival Report

Well, I promised I would let you all know how the Beads Up North festival went on Sunday. To summarise…it was fantastic! I know the organisers, Halfpenney’s had put a lot of work into re-thinking the format of the event to try and increase the appeal to the public and, from what I saw, all that effort paid off. All the traders had been encouraged to think about including some kind of ‘Ave a go’ element to their stall and a lot took up this idea, so people were able to get a taster of what beading is all about. Kathryn (from Halfpenney’s) and her daughters were also running a workshop table where people had the chance to sit down and try their hand at a beading stitch, with a small sample being free, or the opportunity to pay £5 for something long enough to take home and wear – quite a bargain I think!

For me personally, two things were particularly special. I had been told in advance about the beading that was going to be on display on the day. The members of the Halfpenney’s beading group had been set the challenge of beading something that was inspired by cakes. I feel very honoured that some chose to bead designs from my Sweet Treats book.

I also loved the miniature beaded occasion cakes, with really beautiful designs.

I spotted some chocolate eclairs and a gingerbread man on one stand and, near them, the most beautiful miniature beaded tea set, with cups, saucers, teapot and the cake on a plate looking good enough to eat!

Inspiration went beyond the obvious as well, to include beaded adornments for a full-sized cake and necklaces of butterflies and fairies that had taken their inspiration from the idea of ‘fairy cakes’. Then there is the beautiful Queen of Hearts amulet purse, with a plate of jam tarts to continue the Alice in Wonderland theme. These sat alongside Kathryn’s lovely little tooth fairy box – a design that she unveiled at Sandown Park at the start of April, so I loved seeing it in context here.

Going beyond beading, the carousel of knitted cupcakes made a stunning centrepiece, then there was the beautiful beaded card and battenburg and donut, plus sweets all of the beaders’ own design. I hope all the photos here have given you a taste of the beautiful display. Many congratulations to the very talented ladies who contributed and I thought Kathryn did a wonderful job in putting the display together, so it was a real treat for all the visitors!

I said there were a couple of things that I loved about the day. The second was getting to meet so many lovely, friendly beaders, both ladies and men. It was a real treat to get to talk to people that I have come to know through Facebook and hear the story of how my miniature beaded cakes inspired a lady to create a cake stand with different cake designs. She entered this into a craft fair and won first place!

I hope I’ve done justice to the wonderful beading display at the festival and a big thank you to Halfpenney’s for inviting me and to all the lovely beaders who have been supporting my work. I can’t wait to go back in July and teach the two workshops, so make sure you book your place early!