At the start of 2015, Katie began releasing a series of booklets, each focusing on particular beading techniques. These were tied into her other website My World of Beads, which saw huge development throughout the year. Designed as an information and teaching site for beaders of all levels, it has quickly gained a following in the beading community.
January 2015: Katie designed a special diamond bracelet to appear in the diamond edition of Bead and Jewellery Magazine. It featured some of the Swarovski crystal Rose Montees in a duracoat base, combining RAW and Peyote stitch. For those who feel a little wary of the CRAW bracelet option, Katie created an alternative, much simpler bracelet band.
February Katie’s necklace using spiral netting and Piggy beads was featured in Digital Beading Magazine. It took a traditional beading technique and gave it a new flavour using some of the new shaped seed beads.
March: the Big Bead Show preview edition of Bead and Jewellery Magazine featured two special designs by Katie, using the subscriber free kits that came with the magazine.
Spring 2015: the Spring special edition of Bead and Jewellery Magazine included Katie’s Art Deco style moveable pendant. This followed a theme that Katie had been exploring for a while – jewellery that can be moved around or changed without needing to be re-made entirely.
April 2015: a special edition of Bead and Jewellery Magazine, entitled, ‘Something different’ included Katie’s Bead Grafitti project. For those who think they hate freeform work, this project is a very accessible introduction to the technique and it offers the option to play it safe with some more regular stitches if you prefer!
June 2015: Katie’s Battle of the Beadsmith entry was revealed to the world.
Katie’s entry, a necklace entitled ‘A Taste of the Big Apple’, was announced as a finalist in the International Bead Awards. The competition had a theme of ‘On a Journey of Discovery’. You may recognise some of the components of the necklace as they made their way into patterns after Katie had entered the competition. So if you want to create your own version, you will need the letter beads, bagels, hot dogs and cheeseburgers!
July 2015: Issue 64 of Bead and Jewellery magazine included Katie’s fun, summery Fiesta Necklace pattern. Katie was also invited to become a member of the Beadsmith Inspiration Squad.
August 2015: the August 2015 issue of Bead and Button Magazine featured Katie’s floral garland bracelet. This was the first project that Katie had managed to get accepted by the magazine, fulfilling a long-term goal. Bead and Button very kindly made an entirely new version of the bracelet in the colouring of their choice for the photography for the article, so you can immediately see two different colour options for this summer project.
September 2015: Issue 65 of Bead and Jewellery Magazine featured Katie’s French beaded Ear of Wheat, which pairs beautifully with her beaded poppies.
Autumn 2015: Katie made her first TV appearances, doing two shows on the Craft Channel. Some small stocks of kits from these shows are still on sale here. Issue 66 of Bead and Jewellery Magazine, the Winter Sparkle special, featured a stylish Swarovski crystal bracelet showcasing some of the newer bead types. You can now find the pattern here.
For issue 67 of Bead and Jewellery Magazine, Katie collaborated with fellow bead artist, Dizzy Di, to create a beaded druzy cabochon using the classic techniques she had developed for her book.
