Welcome to the beading blog written by Katie Dean. Here you can follow Katie’s beading adventures, hear about workshops, the evolution of her designs and other bead related stories that she likes to share.
You will find four sections on Katie Dean’s Beadflowers blog.
- You can check the Beadwork section for all her design, teaching and beading adventures.
- Linked to this, are a few blogs that deal more with CFS/ME, the illness that got Katie into beading!
- Then, there is a special section to cover Katie’s annual National Beading Week events.
- If you know Katie Dean from her work on Jewellery Maker TV, you can read behind-the-scenes anecdotes in that section.
Beadwork by Katie Dean
I have been beading for over fifteen years and my beadwork is bound up
with my health. You will know this story if you have followed my blog before.
I started beading after becoming seriously ill and I have found the beadwork consistently therapeutic. Beading has also given me a creative outlet and I think this is a healthy thing for anyone. I have come to know a lot of other beaders and I realise that many of us are suffering from difficult health conditions.
So, although I wanted to write mostly about my beading adventures, I have also talked more personally. (If you want to find out more about CFS/ME, I’ve highlighted the blogs relating to that in this section) I think we can all support each other. Sometimes it is comforting just to know that you’re not the only one who is struggling. So, I’ve shared some of my struggles and doubts on here. Since I believe it’s important to speak out, I thought I had better start by setting an example!
I hope you enjoy reading about my general beading adventures in this part of the blog.
Katie Dean on TV
I never in a million years imagined I would end up appearing on TV! You may remember, I actually
stumbled into doing a couple of shows on the Craft Channel when they first started out in 2015. I was expecting to find myself petrified in front of a camera. It turns out it wasn’t as bad as I had feared and I loved the experience. I love teaching and this felt like teaching a class. It was just that I couldn’t actually see any of my students!
So, I was thrilled when Jewellery Maker TV approached me in 2016 and asked if I would like to become a guest designer. As you will read, my illness has been getting in the way there. But, in my first show I had amazing interactions with the live audience and felt so much warmth from them. I can also say that Jewellery Maker is like a family. Considering the health difficulties I’ve had, the support they have given me has been amazing.
So, read the blog to keep up-to-date with my adventures on there!
