Clinkscales Arts

Last year after reading about the Bead & Button Show and their auction to help fight breast cancer, I came across Jeanette Shanigan’s website and her beaded quilts.  Jeanette asks beaders around the world to donate individual beaded squares based on a theme.  She then sews the squares together to make gorgeous quilts, mounts them in shadow boxes and donates them to be auctioned at the Bead & Button show.  In 2008, these quilts raised nearly $4,400 for breast cancer research.

Being a member of the Etsy BeadWeaver’s team (EBW), I knew we were sitting on a goldmine of talent.  I asked the group if they would like to make squares to be included in Jeanette’s quilts.  I would collect all of the squares and submit them at one time in hopes that they would all be included in one quilt.   Fifteen EBW members stepped up and created 35 squares to be included in a 2009 quilt.  The theme for 2009 is “Bead artists have the heart to take on breast cancer” and I believe the EBW contributors did a magnificent job representing it.

Below is a mosaic I created of all of the EBW squares.  This is not the actual quilt, only a digital version using photos I took of each square.  Please visit the Bead & Button Show website to find out more information about the auctions, which will be held June 6, 2009.   Below the mosaic is a list of contributors and links to their shops.

First row (l to r): Susan Clinkscales, Eddy Downing, Eddy Downing, JoJo Curley, Swanee Hielscher
2nd row: Swanee Hielscher, Swanee Hielscher, Swanee Hielscher, Linda Davis, Smadar Grossman
3rd row: Smadar Grossman, Smadar Grossman, Smadar Grossman, Lisa Savoy, Lisa Savoy
4th row: Lisa Savoy, Jama Watts, Jama Watts, Jama Watts, Kerrie Slade
5th row: Kerrie Slade, Kerrie Slade, Kerrie Slade, Victoria Thompson, Victoria Thompson
6th row: Victoria Thompson, Kim Shaver, Dawn Nelson, Melody Murray, Melody Murray
7th row: Ileana Munteanu, Ginny Bracht, Ginny Bracht, Ginny Bracht, Ginny Bracht

One of my fellow EBW members and extremely talented beadweaver, Kerrie Slade, is using her beading to help support breast cancer research.  She designed the following lapel pin and the pattern is being sold on Beading Daily.  All proceeds from the purchase of the pattern from now until September 30th will be donated to help fight cancer.  Please help support cancer research by purchasing the pattern for $3.  If you do purchase the pattern, please respect Kerrie’s copyright.  She will allow you to make as many as you choose, but they can only be sold for charity, not for personal gain.

Beading Daily is also hosting a contest - The Power of Beading Contest - and you can win one of Kerrie’s fabulous pins.  Here’s a direct quote from the Beading Daily Blog:

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Enter the Power of Beading Contest

Do you have a dramatic ”got to be beading” story of your own?  Or maybe beading helped bring hope and healing to a smaller, more ordinary moment?  I clearly remember a day last summer when I accidentally tore a hole in a favorite skirt.  I was so upset!  And yet, after a little time beading, my anger just faded away.  It was not a dramatic, life-changing moment, but the small act of beading helped me overcome the challenge of keeping life in perspective that day.

How has beading helped you through a challenging time?  Tell us and you could win one of Kerrie Slade’s handcrafted ribbon pins.

There will be two first place winners.  Each winner will receive a handcrafted ribbon pin created and donated by talented designer Kerrie Slade. Kerrie has shared her creations in several issues of Beadwork, most recently the Olive Dangles and Periwinkle Choker projects in the August/September issue on sale now.

The pink ribbon has a 9K gold pin with a heart made of 24K gold cylinder beads. The teal ribbon has a sterling silver pin with a heart made of galvanized silver cylinder beads. Entries will be judged by Kerrie Slade.  Names will be removed from the entries prior to judging.

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So, do some beading for charity, have some fun and help support a cause that has touched so many lives.  Thanks!