Give the gift of life: The Bead-It-Forward project

Posted Fri, Oct 28 2011 10:09 AM by Stacy Werkheiser

Our soon-to-be-on-newsstands December issue heralds a very exciting announcement for all of us at Bead&Button. In the Bead Soup section (p. 10), we outline Bead&Button's new role in managing Jeanette Shanigan's ever-popular Bead-It-Forward bead-quilt project. In the past, Jeanette has chosen an annual theme and invited beaders from around the world to stitch up 1.5 x 1.5-in. (3.8 x 3.8 cm) beaded squares depicting that theme. Jeanette then sewed the squares together into wall-hanging sized quilts, which were auctioned off each year at the Bead&Button Show to benefit breast cancer research. Due to the overwhelming response (we're talking THOUSANDS of beaded squares over the years!) Jeanette has passed the project to Bead&Button. Our staff will be collecting the squares this year and, along with a few generous friends, creating bead quilts and other pieces with the squares to auction off next June.

So that's the backstory; now here's how we're making this project happen and how you can get involved!

• First off, Jeanette was gracious enough to select the theme for this year: "Birds -- Flocking together to fund breast cancer research."
• We've posted complete rules for submitting beaded squares here at BeadAndButton.com. For those of you who like to navigate a website rather than click on a link, go up to the Community tab at the top of our website and scroll down to Bead Quilt Project in the drop-down menu.
• Also on that web page are free sample patterns designed by us editors, starting with my loomwork/square stitch cardinal pattern. Others will be posted in the near future, so keep checking back! You can reproduce, alter, or otherwise make these patterns your own and submit them.
• For those of you who would prefer to design your own squares, you can download our free graph paper for major stitches. You might be wondering how to create a paper pattern that, when beaded, will measure 1.5 x 1.5 in. (3.8 x 3.8 cm). Associate Editor Anna Elizabeth Draeger posted this helpful Ask Anna blog that will help you calculate how many rows and columns you'll need.
• If you're interested in owning one of the finished bead quilts or any of the other treasures we hope to make with the squares, start making plans to attend next year's Bead&Button Show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

As those of us at Bead&Button prepare to Bead-It-Foward by making squares of our own, we've generated quite a few ways to make this project fun, meaningful, and personal. If you're considering participating, here are a few ideas to inspire you!

• Rather than making one bird on one square, create a pattern across four or more squares! This is a great way to work with friends, family members, and fellow beaders in your community because multiple people can make the squares, contributing to the whole. Associate Editor Jane Danley Cruz created this peyote woodpecker design, and together she and I stitched it up!
• Use this project as an opportunity to teach a friend to bead. The awesome cause behind Bead-It-Forward might be just the push someone needs to try their hand at peyote, herringbone, and other simple stitches.
• Involve the kids! Even if a child is too young to work with a needle and small beads, they can color graph paper that's been pre-cut to the desired size.
• Make a square in honor of someone you know whose life has been touched by breast cancer. Consider what bird might best represent them.
• Donate squares as an alternative holiday gift this season. You can take a picture of the finished square or create a duplicate to give to each recipient so that they know that they too are part of the flock looking for the cure to breast cancer.

And whatever you do, keep checking back! We'll post additional patterns, ideas, and pictures as this project progresses. We also hope to photograph submitted squares as they arrive at our offices and post them on Facebook!

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