Hello everyone and welcome to our new blog! We are the local sub chapter of the ISBG, the International Society of Glass Beadmakers. We are not new to the organization nor new to beadmaking but definately new to blogging. Please come visit us at our website, http://www.grapevinebeads.com/, when you get a chance.
A little about us:
We are a group of lampworkers living in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. We meet on a monthly basis to talk about lampwork and share techniques and ideas. We have a very diverse group of artists. Some are wonderful, experienced and well known artists. Some of us are just beginning our journey into the wonderful world of glass. Experience and ideas are shared freely.
What is lampwork?
We get this question often. Lampwork has been around for hundreds of years and has regained popularity in the last few years. You have probably seen lampwork beads or maybe even own a piece of jewelry with lampwork but never realized how these beads are made. The glass beads are handmade from rods of glass. The rods are heated over a torch and wound on to thin metal rods called mandrels. Once the bead is cooled it is removed from the mandrel. Where the mandrel was there now is a hole. See? Now it's a bead. Originally, many years ago, the beads were made over oil lamps instead of torches. That's where the name lampwork beads comes from. Different glasses and torch techniques produce different results. It's always a learning experience.
Are you a lampworker in the area? Have you ever had an interest in learning to make lampwork beads? Come by and visit us by all means. We meet monthly, usually the third Saturday evening of each month. Please email me to get on the email list for notification of meeting times and locations.
Thank you for letting us take a little of your time to introduce ourselves. Please check back often for updates and please do not hestitate to email us if you have any questions about joining the group or just stopping by to say hello. We love to see new faces!
Patricia Scoggins
Treasurer/ Blogger
Grapevine Beadmaker's Society
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