Peter Sewell

Beauty & Art..............in that order

2012-02-10T19:29:00.000Z

Hoping that you may have forgotten by now about my hospital induced ramblings from September, I shall reveal another hospital based rambling which I have been saving for the right time. Or any time I can't come up with anything better to write about. It was really important to me at the time, so it has to be aired. I discovered,whilst I was squandering my days away in hospital, that the only things worth a light in life were Beauty and Art. I also realised that the variations in each of these muses were as important as the subject, so here's my take on two of the most debatable subjects in life -

BEAUTY VARIATIONS

1. Perfect beauty - technically and aesthetically perfect to the last detail.

2. Natural beauty - sunsets, mountains, seascapes, swans, dolphins, ad infinitum.

3. Fashioned beauty - usually man attempting (and sometimes succeeding) to replicate natural beauty!

4. Imagined beauty - generally that which is in the eye of the beholder. Just as important and real as perfect beauty to the beholder.

5. Perceived beauty - exactly the same as imagined beauty, but different.

6. Broken beauty - The attraction of physical or natural disfigurement, and the ability to see through the mist of prejudice.

7. Tragic beauty - Juliette, Ophelia, Desdemona, Maria Callas, the love of someone or something purely out of a need to nurture and protect.

8. Anti beauty - anything, movement, or doctrine which tries to remove 'normal' ideas of beauty from the equation. Constructivism, cubism, Shock Art, etc. still has a beauty of it's own.

That's the 'Beauty' bit over - now for the Art bit!

WHAT IS ART - to me?

Colours in harmony with each other

Shapes playing together

Words & language

Painting with words

Music which strives to please

Fashion other than fashion for fashion's sake

Love - of any description

A way of seeing Life

A way of living Life

Beauty.

See? It all comes back to the same thing? Clever huh? If you don't find something Beautiful - look again, you might be missing something.

Kristina

2012-02-08T13:47:00.000Z

This will be one of my 2013 workshops - in some guise, I may make another before then!

Hamburg Bead Fair courses published!

2012-02-03T19:16:00.001Z

Courses at the Beader's Best Hamburg Bead Fair in August are now published - mine are 'Melissa', 'Tanya', and 'Beate'. Click on the blue letters for the link!
Here's pictures.........................

'Melissa'

'Tanya'

'Beate'

'Victoriana'

2012-02-01T11:10:00.000Z

Every time I try to make something looking Victorian I have finished up with a design closer to Imperial Russian, I suppose there is a link there in the royal lineage. This one, however, is 100% Victorian! I think I may have actually got it right! The crystals are vintage 'Fuchsia', so won't be repeated, and the rest of the beads are all from Kandra's Beads in Solvang, California.

Here she is...........................

My input on an emotive subject.

2012-01-23T11:43:00.000Z

In October 2010 I had a necklace project published in 'Beadwork' magazine - 'Sonya' if you want to look it up. Shortly after it was published I was sent a link by a fellow beader to a Korean sales site, the whole project was being sold for peanuts - photographs and diagrams copied directly from the magazine, and the finished necklace they had used as a project image looked as if a blind six year old had made it! It hurt more than I thought it would have, and it took a letter from 'Beadwork' to finally get them to pull it from sale. It actually felt as if I had been burgled, any love I had for that particular necklace disappeared shortly afterwards.

I realised then that the only way to beat the design thieves was to either make something so technically challenging it wasn't worth them trying to copy it, or to just suck it up and get on with the next design. I did both.

The beading community has become paranoid about copying, admittedly with good reason, but while we are squabbling about who owns what and who stole what, the Chinese and the Koreans are quietly copying and selling everything we make - and there are so many sites selling this that you will never get 'em all!

I sympathise - no, I empathise - with those of you who feel you have had your hours of work stolen by a passing opportunist, but I also believe that getting engrossed in a battle with a fellow beader really isn't worth it. Move on and suck it up, remember the incident by all means, but don't let it ruin your Art. I would have to look up the last design I did, because I am making another, and the only thing that's important is the now, if anyone wants to copy the past I cannot stop them - I can shout and sabre wave, but I can't stop them.

As beadworkers we are a very incestuous group, we all know one another's work, and we can look out for each other, but we don't have to like every one of our contemporaries - and we certainly don't have to trust them, most of whom are only known through the medium of the internet. When you make a design that is able to be copied then expect it to be copied, it will happen, and there ain't nuthin' you can do about it!

I shall now go back to trying to design a stealth necklace that nobody can see on the beading radar.

Hello New Year!

2012-01-11T20:40:00.000Z

I know it's eleven days past new year, but I had to make sure it was going the way I wanted it to. Spring has come early this year - I knew it would - and the feeling of optimism and freedom I have right now is more than I've had for a long time!

In hindsight, which we all know is a wonderful thing, I think I must have been very bored and jaded with life prior to the cancer thing. That isn't to say I wake up every morning with a song in my heart - although there really is one in my head most mornings - I wake up as miserable and cantankerous as I ever did, only Freya will dare to speak to me before coffee. No, I now have a sense of 'purpose', a much used cliche, but it does happen.

Although it's only January, I am working towards the Hamburg Bead Fair in August - this is my one chance to shine in the midst of international beaders................and I have no intention of screwing it up through lack of preparation. On my beading mat at the moment is one of the most beautiful stitches I have ever done, and I have a feeling it may be a variation only I have done, this will not be aired until next year though - I need at least four original designs for 2013's workshop schedule!

On a personal front, Nina has had her staples out after her gallbladder removal, and is slowly getting better, I have had my central line (which has been hanging out of me for 3 months) removed, the last room to be renovated in this old house is taking shape and we should be able to have next Christmas in it, all in all a lot of good reasons to get up in the morning!

'In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love', said Shakespeare - 'In the spring an old man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of home improvement', is closer to the truth, said me.

The 'Process'

2012-01-04T19:52:00.001Z

I thought it would be cool to give you some idea of what goes into a beaded necklace design from my side of the fence. I'm not using this to crow about how much work there is in it, or how brilliant I am (though I can be at times), I just wanted to open up the design process to you and see if there are any surprises!

OK, so, first I have a sketch & doodle session in my 'art' book. This leaves me with lots of completely unworkable ideas, and the plan is that in the midst of all these is one workable idea for a design. Remember this is just on paper though, I have to see if I can get the materials to go with the idea, and at this stage there is no colour - it's all pencil and white shapes.

When I decide that this is something I can work with, I need a 'central piece' - this is usually a larger than normal crystal. From here I'm going to let you into the working behind 'Persephone', then you can see where I'm going with it! So, I decide I want to build around a large pear shaped crystal, this is really as far as I've got at this stage, I really don't know what will work with it - the original design for Persephone was a pear crystal with five navettes hanging down like leaves, it didn't work! I order the crystal in a colour that hits me while browsing the supplier's website, everything will hang on what I can do with this when I get it.

A week later and I have a gorgeous 'Montana' pear crystal on my desk. I arrange the navettes to the original 'leafy' design. It's rubbish. Far too heavy on the drop, so I need to play around now with all the crystals I have in my stash to make shapes that work. Shapes first, then colour. The idea of not being able to make the design never comes into my head - if I can imagine it, I can make it. My head is aware of where my limitations lie.

After three days of changing navettes round, adding rivolis of varying sizes, and listening to Nina's advice, I have a design. I photograph it quickly so I don't forget what I did. Now comes the hard bit - colours.

While all this is going on I'm waiting for a name to appear in my head, I need a name to bring it to life, none of my necklaces have been inanimate objects, they are all personalities. So now I get all my colours out that either compliment or blend with the main crystal - in Persephone's case I went for the chartreuse green to signify the 'Spring' element, and the gold to compliment the chartreuse! I then picked a few other shades of green to blend, and the golden crystals of the necklace chain to depict the old brown of Winter being overshadowed by the Spring.

The rest, as they say, was easy. Just fasten all the bezelled bits together. Although weaving through delica beads which are already stretched tightly is a nightmare! If you use a strong needle you will break the glass beads, so a less expensive 'bendy' needle is needed! The score for Persephone was 17 bent beyond all recognition needles!

It all fit together, it all balanced, it sat on the neck without falling forwards or sideways, it worked. That, at this stage, is as much as I could hope for. The next stage is putting it into the public domain and seeing what other people think of it - most of them experienced beadweavers who could pick a fault at a hundred yards! Facebook first, then a blog post, then....................Etsy. This is tricky. Pick a price. If I add up the hours actually making it I get to 20 - 25. If I add on design hours I start talking about days and weeks. How do you price that? There is an adage 'sell it for what you can get', I tend to stay with that, although this is usually considerably less than it is worth - if I breakdown the $500 for Persephone into hours worked and materials used I get around $5 an hour labour. This is why you rarely see a rich Artist.

I hope this has given you an insight into why most of us are borderline certifiable, it will be interesting to see what I come up with next - it's all a blank at the moment!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-03T13:02:00.000Z

Those of you who have been following the plot will know that the end of 2011 didn't go exactly to plan. As a matter of fact it went completely off the rails. I've had my operation, I've had my chemo, I have radiotherapy to go yet but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Nina had her gall bladder removed last Friday, so her gallstone pain should be gone now, just the post op pain to get rid of.

This brings me to 2012 - it isn't something I would normally say, but 2012 has got to be an improvement on 2011! Nina will be better, I will be better, life will go on, and we will get back into the habit of enjoying it, rather than checking the diary to see when the next hospital appointment is due.

We will walk along canal paths, we will take the car into the hills and watch Peregrine falcons hunting, we will walk around lakes and talk to the ducks and the swans, we will laugh at stupid things and marvel at the stars, we will start living again! The last few months haven't been 'living', they have been 'surviving', that is why 2012 is so important - it's the year we will get better, and plan for 2013.

Grab each moment as if it's your last - one day it will be.

Persephone

2011-12-31T09:03:00.000Z

Persephone - Goddess of Spring & the Underworld.

This is probably my most sparkly design yet! I've had the idea for a while, but getting all the crystals to compliment each other wasn't as easy as I thought, once I decided on the chartreuse green theme throughout everything sort of came good!

I said this took 17 needles - this is because my needles of choice are the inexpensive 'Pony' needles (thanks Kandra!), and they bend rather than break. This means I rarely break a bead now, the needle gives up before the bead does, and weaving in and out of an already bezelled navette bends a lot of needles!

Anyway - here she is. I shall now try and rest this strained muscle in my shoulder!

The Westburn Group

2011-12-20T15:41:00.001Z

I was supposed to be going to Glasgow in September of this year, to teach a 2 day 'Adele' workshop to a group of beaders. I had to cancel because of this cancer thing, and cancelling workshops is not something beading tutors are happy about, so between the organiser Sheena and myself we came to an arrangement. I would send all the materials and instructions up there, and the more accomplished beaders in the group would help the less experienced to make 'Adele' - workshop by proxy!

Now, you have to remember I have never met any of these ladies, which is why, when I woke up in intensive care after my operation, the appearance of a 'get well' card signed by the whole group was all the more meaningful. The downside was that my reading glasses were locked away, and I couldn't see it properly for a week!

That, in itself, was an extremely thoughtful act by a group who didn't even know me - only exceeded by a parcel in the mail a couple of days ago. The group had made me an 'album' of photographs they had taken of the 'Adele' workshop in different stages - they also raffled the finished necklace made by Sheena in aid of their local hospice, and raised £250!

I will be going up to Glasgow to repay the kindness as soon as I can - I really am looking forward to doing a workshop where I am actually there! Here are a few snippets from the album they made for me.........................thank you Ladies!

You're HOW old????

2011-12-17T12:20:00.000Z

Isn't it amazing that as soon as the temperature drops you begin to realise how old and knackered you are? It's just started freezing here, and I can feel every scar, every break, every pulled muscle, and probably tell you where and when I got 'em! I am sitting typing with a t shirt, a thermal vest, a polo neck shirt, and a fleece jacket on - what the hell happened to me???

When you're head is 35 and your body is 75, although chronologically you are only supposed to be 58, life can get a little confusing.

Digressing, I can't even bead at the moment - because I have a little cut on the end of my third finger. This is the finger I use to push the needle through, so a minor scratch becomes a show stopper.

Those of you who are used to my ramblings will know I don't do depression, this is why I haven't said a lot recently, I am in a state of suspension - not really knowing what I want to do next, and not really caring about what I have just done. To my friends in the virtual ether I apologise, I should answer messages on facebook, I should turn on Skype, but I have nothing positive to say, so I say nothing.

Now, this could just be the 'end of chemo anticlimax', I have finished treatment, to all intents and purposes I no longer have cancer, and the whirlwind of the last three months has suddenly stopped. I should be celebrating, but I think I'll leave it a couple of months before I do that.

Finishing on a controversial note - our esteemed Prime Minister wants to make the UK a 'christian country'.................it's a bit late for that pal, you should have thought about that before extending opening hours for drinking, before letting catholic priests continue abusing children, before invading Iraq, before allowing shops and stores to open on Sundays, before etc etc. It doesn't matter to me - I'm an Atheist - but even I could see when morality went out of the window.

There but for the grace of God................go I.

2011-12-09T22:01:00.000Z

I've come out of the other side of 'the cancer thing'. I have doctors telling me it's gone, which is not something they tend to do normally, but it seemed to have been caught early enough to whip it out, and mop up with a bit of chemo to make sure nothing was left.

So I feel good. Or at least I feel I should feel good. This is what is known in the forces as 'survivor syndrome', you know you were damn lucky to get out the other side, but you also met some people along the way who were in a much worse state, and probably wouldn't get out the other side. Now you feel good at surviving, but guilty as hell that you came through when you know others won't. Double edged sword. When they say 'life changing' they bloody mean it!

On a lighter note - the chemo cloud has lifted, I'm discovering music I'd forgotten I liked, Nina has her appointment for her scan to find the elusive gallstones that went missing in hospital, and I can fit into clothes I bought when we had money! Life goes on. Thankfully.

'Anastasia' Tutorial now released!

2011-12-08T16:45:00.000Z

I've listed the tutorial for Annie on Etsy - have fun! Here's the link

Now with German translation attached!!! Jetzt mit Deutsch-Übersetzung beigefügt!!!

2011-12-07T21:20:00.000Z

My 'Maryshka' PDF Tutorial now comes with a complete German text translation! So you have 'Kandra' in French & English, and 'Maryshka' in German & English! Don't say I don't try to help!! :)) It's for sale here

The one that got away......................for now.

2011-11-26T20:43:00.001Z

I designed - I use the term loosely - a very difficult necklace while I was in hospital. Not technically difficult, but engineeringly difficult - pendelums and fulcrums and stuff. I have made the pendant, I have even found the point of balance to attach the bail to, I still haven't found out how to keep the rivolis from going opposite ways, but I will. I have only to bead a tubular herringbone necklace rope and a clasp to finish it. All this time I am wondering what possessed me to start it in the first place. The problem with wondering whilst beading is that you will invariably stick a needle in yourself - this I did, and, while this is a normal occurrence, it is not normal to be taking blood thinning drugs at the same time. I bled like a stuck pig. The aforementioned design - Gaia - is now going to wait until I have finished chemo, and can afford to loose what blood I have left. Pity. I really want to see if it works!

To clarify.......................

2011-11-23T21:37:00.000Z

Firstly, I must remind you that I am a man. As such I am allowed to be stupid and unthinking. OK, so we understand that now?

I said I wasn't going to do any workshops next year when I had this operation, this was because everything I had heard about recovery involved up to a year of hard work and convalescence. This is why I have nothing booked at Stitchncraft, and why the ladies at Portland and Saltash will have to hold on until the year after - 2013.

So what do I do then? I book 3 days at the Hamburg bead Fair next August! I shall explain why now. Hamburg will be 3 days of workshops, but these will only be 3 hours long - the rest of the time I will be languishing in the hotel, or driving around sightseeing! The workshops in the UK are 6 hours long, and if I had 4 days at S&C, and 2 days at the others, I could be working 8 days of 6 hours a day - I know I physically couldn't do that, and because of the journey length from home to Dorset/Cornwall I couldn't just do one workshop.

I hope this explains why I'm going to Hamburg and not to the UK next year, it was only pointed out to me this morning how bad it looked, I am not letting you down - I'm taking the easier option!

peter

Victorian Earrings tutorial

2011-11-18T18:28:00.000Z

These were featured in the April 2011 Beadworker's Guild Journal (along with a profile of me!) and I can now release the tutorial for sale!
I've given bead details for three different colourways so you can make all the sets in the photograph! Here's the link to Etsy

I've gone all...........................insane.

2011-11-17T09:36:00.000Z

I'll be glad when Nina gets home and stops me putting stuff up for sale! This is 'Katya' - I made her after I'd had a right shoulder operation to prove I could still bead! I've had a lot done since, and I'm still going, so she may as well go to a good home. Here's the link to my Etsy shop

I've gone all Designer...........y

2011-11-16T09:43:00.001Z

'Chimera' is listed on Etsy! I'm not going to write all the sales blurb here, it's all on the listing. I forgot to put the bit about it coming in a quality presentation box, but then you knew that already didn't you?

I've gone all wedding.........y

2011-11-14T17:11:00.001Z

I've listed 'Bridal' necklace on Etsy! I know I made it a year ago, but my reasoning is that Nina will never wear it, and it doesn't go with any of my wardrobe, so it's for sale!

'Original' pieces of beadwork are quite difficult to market, it takes 20 hours or so to make a necklace (not including design time!) and to put a reasonable price on that would be over $200 before even trying to get a profit! This is why most beadworkers teach, and sell tutorials and kits. What I am probably trying to say is.................you get a bargain at $150!!! Just sayin'. :))

Here's the link, or click on the post title, and here's what you get...............

'Maryshka' Necklace Tutorial

2011-11-11T20:12:00.000Z

Finally! I have listed the tutorial for 'Maryshka' on Etsy! A little tip here - if you can make Maryshka you will have all the means to make 'Adele'..............I can say this because I can't see me listing any more tutorials until well into next year.
Hope you enjoy it!

Kandra Bracelet Tutorial

2011-11-09T19:10:00.001Z

Tutorial for the Kandra bracelet is now listed on my Etsy shop - tested by the lovely Laulo in France, she also added a French translation to the text!

A cautionary tale!

2011-11-09T09:33:00.000Z

Firstly, I want to say that I am not an exhibitionist. Well, not really anyway. I have been known to expose myself to anyone who felt it would be artistically prudent to do so, but as a rule, I don't flash indiscriminately. Although Nina says I 'will strip at the sight of a washing bowl' because I've spent so long in hospital!

No. I put these photos on as a. a sign that I am healing really well, and will be back to normal as soon as I can, and b. a cautionary tale.

I used to brag that I had my first cigarette at the age of 8 or 9, and I was regularly smoking at 12. I also used to think it was cool to say I could down a bottle of scotch and still walk home. This is what happens when you do that. I stopped smoking 8 years ago, I stopped drinking 20 years ago, and still it caught up with me. If you are happy to take your past on your shoulders and bear the scars, fine, but never blame anyone else for looking like this after a life of cigareets and whisky...............and the odd wild wild women!

A couple of revelations.....................

2011-11-08T19:40:00.000Z

Probably the worst kept secrets in the beading world, but I suppose I'd better come out!

a. I will be one of the judges again for the Fashion Colorworks 2012 competition - there are six of us this time..............but I'm sure I'll say something controversial again! Details and link on previous post.

b. This is confirmation that I will be at Hamburg for the Beaders Best Bead Fair in August next year!!!!! Not only will I be there, but I will be teaching three classes - one a day. The class details will be in the January issue of Perlen Poesie magazine, so you'll have to wait until then to find out! I now have to try and get some kits together for the fair!

Fashion Colorworks 2012

2011-11-05T11:49:00.001Z

It's that time again! Hosted by MyLovelyBeads.com and now in it's third year, this promises to be one of the best jurored competitions in the international beadwork scene!

Your colours are already specified - to the latest in Pantone styles - so all you have to do is decide what category you want to enter, think up a good design, and go for it!

We have six judges this year, so with any luck I won't be as controversially strict as I was last year.................but then again............:))

Look forward to seeing your entries! Don't forget to check out last years winners, it will give you an idea of the things to look for!

Facebook

2011-11-03T23:39:00.000Z

Just a quick note to say that, as I feel I may have got out of the other side of this crap reasonably unscathed, I'm beginning to open up my 'friends list' on Facebook again. I know this may sound as if I'm being a bit 'precious', but I'm not - if you genuinely want to 'friend' me then please do! I will say though, I will not take any requests from people I've never heard of, or people who are just collecting names for their list. I hope those of you who got deleted before I went into hospital understand now why I did it.

The 'Kandra' Bracelet

2011-10-30T08:35:00.000Z

You may remember that a while ago I made a bracelet with some stunning dichroic cabs that Kandra sent me - click here

Well. I always wanted to see if I could get the same effect with Swarovski - here's the result! I like it, I like it a lot, but I don't think it's ever going to be a kit or a workshop due to the cost of making it!

Turquoise

2011-10-29T22:12:00.000+01:00

Well, I said I'd do a post about something beady, so here it is! I got sent a beautiful cab from Kandra of Kandra's Beads - the tricky bit was finding a colour to go with it. I trawled through the bead cabinet until I found the perfect match................which, if I remember rightly, Kandra sent me a while ago! I should call this the Karma necklace. So, here it is, remembering all the 'one of a kind' cabochon necklaces are pre claimed by Nina, and could only be sold if the proceeds were to go to my estate..................which would be Nina.

It's late - enjoy.

Peter 1 - Damocles 0

2011-10-26T18:08:00.000+01:00

So. I'm getting two sessions of chemo, and that's it. It's based on the premise that there 'could be something left but probably isn't'. Works for me, and it looks like I'll keep the hair - I know it shouldn't be a big thing to a man, but it doesn't grow this long overnight you know!

Busy making some fabulous new designs up at the moment, good physio for the cracked rib. The one I'm looking at on my desk now looks more like an X Wing fighter out of Star Wars than a bracelet, but I have faith it will improve!

That's it then, just a short update, a bit of chemo, a bit of tiredness, get better, and look forward to next years big event................I'll tell you about that one soon!

Here's a free stitch for you - Chevron Netting Stitch - enjoy.

Damocles and me.

2011-10-16T10:45:00.000+01:00

Now, I know I said I wasn't going to keep going on about this cancer thing, the theory was that once it's gone it's gone. Pointless writing blogs when I could be getting on with serious things............like beading.

I have discovered that the appearance of this little bit left in one of the lymph nodes has hit me a bit harder than I expected. Back on July 15th when the endoscopist told me he'd found a tumour, my blood ran cold - that hadn't happened for many years, when Sam Mehta, my surgeon, told me about this bloody lymph node it did it again. My mouth and the rest of my body were doing a good impression of being nonchalant, but the cold blood thing was telling me something else.

I know the chemo and radiotherapy will get rid of anything left in my body, I know it isn't a terminal thing yet, I also know that what I thought would be the end of this wasn't. I chose the surgery over chemo because I didn't want the Sword of Damocles hanging over me for 5 years, it looks as if it may be there after all. The bottom line is, I am probably not as together as I thought I was - I really don't like the chemo idea after going through all the surgery, and however composed and positive I think I am, a lot of it is just acting.

The next blog post will be about beading, or kittens, or sunshine, or wind and waves, or anything but bloody cancer.

...........and so the wheel turns..............

2011-10-12T19:49:00.001+01:00

Here we go again. I had my follow up appointment today, and discovered that one of the lymph nodes my surgeon had taken whilst removing the tumour had a tiny little cancer seed in it. The position of the node was the most important thing, and it was quite close to where it shouldn't have been quite close to. So the theory goes that if one has a bit of cancer, there may be more. Enter Chemotherapy & Radiotherapy - a road I really didn't want to go down, but what's the option? There isn't one.
Sometime very soon I'll have an appointment date with the doctor who's going to fry my little bastard cancer cells to death, and then I will know how intensive, and how often, the treatment will be - I'll let you know. Here's a recipe to make your mouth water!

Back to the day job...........................

2011-10-07T20:51:00.000+01:00

I have listed four pieces on Etsy - 'Karen', 'Eva', Tsarina', and 'Gypsy'. I had decided I wasn't going to sell finished work, and concentrate on workshops and kits, but I am not going to be able to do that until well into next year. So, I have put the most 'Glitzy' pieces I have up for sale.......................it's not as if Nina hasn't got anything else to wear! Here's the link - Etsy

Oh how we laughed!

2011-10-02T21:20:00.000+01:00

Last Monday I felt a sharp pain under my right boob. Trapped wind thought I. I thought this right up until Friday morning, when it hurt so much I struggled to get out of bed. I phoned my Nurse (who is my contact 'twixt me and my surgeon) and prepared for it being another infection. A couple of hours later Nina and I were on our way back to the hospital in the back of a bumpy patient ambulance, admitted to a surgical ward as that was the only bed they could find at short notice - I had my bag packed, and was ready for another few days stay.

Almost as soon as we got there my surgeon (Sam Mehta) arrived at my bed and began the examination. It didn't take long. He prodded the 5th rib, listened to the wail of a grown wuss in pain, and said, "fractured rib - I thought it might be". It turns out that this is common in this operation because they have to move the 5th rib to get to the bits they're working on, it is easily cracked, and I must have finished the job when I got home!

I have never been so happy to be told I had a broken rib! No infection - if it wasn't for this rib I would be making an amazing recovery rather than a very good one!

I'm doing good. Really good. I am eating almost normal food, I am walking around outside, I am beading - albeit slowly, I feel as if everything is possible now, and, I am still being a nice person! It is 4 weeks since the operation tomorrow - life's good.

Addendum...........................

2011-09-25T13:08:00.000+01:00

The first photo is me in High Dependency 2 days after the op - 7th September.
The second photo is me 10 minutes ago - 25th September. (the tube is my feeding tube!)

Hello World!!!!

There and back to see how far it is.

2011-09-23T13:30:00.001+01:00

When I was a kid, and we asked an adult where they had been, the stock answer was 'There and back to see how far it was'. Having just been there, I can tell you it wasn't that far at all. In my life I've been shot at, blown up a bit, knocked off my motorcycle, and had cancer - but I still have no real feeling of 'cheating Death'. I think you either do or you don't - 'near death' just means you crossed the road without getting hit by a bus! We have very fragile bodies - it will either happen or it won't.

There is, however, an opening for a 'Bloody hell that was close!' club though.

Before starting to write I would also like to extol the virtues of a product I had always believed was over hyped - Bach Rescue Remedy. It works. That's really all I can say. Thanks to the lovely Beth who insisted I take it into hospital with me, and who brought Nina to visit me - for that she gets to be my big sister! On with the blog then.....................

Well, I made it. I've been away to a few places in the past three weeks, and without being maudlin or presumptive, I want to write one and only one, blog about what happened.

I had oesophageal cancer, which is cancer of the gullet - the bit the food goes down. I opted for surgery rather than chemo and radiation. The op went well - I'm still here - and I woke up in purgatory. This is the High Dependency Unit, which does an amazing job of keeping post op patients alive. It was also my own personal Hell. No windows to see, artificial lights permanently on, the white noise from the monitors deafening, and no sense of time. I am an Artist - a week of HDU nearly took my soul.

I was moved to a ward, to a 'side room' of my own, with a huge window and a view of inner city flats, and a dozen one legged feral pigeons flying around. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. I cried. I also had a window to open - it was only closed rarely during my stay - Room 6 in Ward 82 was now my home.

The strange thing was the line I had just crossed. HDU was for poorly people, I had now been promoted to a 'getting better' person. I began to realise what I had got through. Again, I cried - I still haven't stopped.

I didn't see Death, I didn't go towards a white light, I did, however, see what is left when all pretence at living is stripped away - Beauty. Nothing else. We have built everything in our lives from Beauty. Every baby is called 'beautiful' - what changes that life from beautiful to ugly? Pretence and the baggage of life.

From my room - which I was confined to for 7 days due to a chest infection - I watched the sun go down over the city of Leeds, listening to the 1812 overture playing on my little cellphone - Beauty.

I did learn one thing, even bouncing round in Dante's levels of Hell, I never once felt the need to question my convictions and call upon a God I didn't believe in. That is not to say He doesn't exist, I just seem to get through life with a few guardian angels and a lot of dumb luck. It works for me.

While I am on a personal note, I will explain my reasons for cutting down my Facebook friends before I went in. I have done hospitals before, and I know how much someone being there at 3am can help when you hurt. As most of you know, I have a very special friendship with Nefer Kane, and I knew she would be there - mainly because she sleeps during the day! At times our relationship becomes very intense and French, and I didn't want any of this to be interpreted wrongly by people who don't know me, and if you know me you know how devoted I am to my lady Nina - who, incidentally, counts Nefer as a friend. Nina is my soul, nothing could touch that, but Nefer has a large piece of my heart which she can use as she wishes.

It has been suggested that our relationship is 'not right' - that is so English. Love is not black and white, we are both Artists, we are both slightly damaged, we are also the closest of friends. Life is too short to please everyone, so I make my own way. Thank you for being there when I needed you mon amour.

Not a bad segue to my next point. I have decided that if I owed society any debts, they have been paid. I am now free to be me. I have also made a truce with Death - I'll stop laughing at Him if He stops picking on me. Sounds like a good deal from here.

I'm writing this on the Tuesday - two days before I leave hospital. It's been an experience I NEVER want again, but it's also shown me how strong I can be when the chips are down - thanks Mum.

I won't blog again about this, if anyone wants any advice I will be happy to give it if I can, but now is the time to move on - I am not a 'survivor', I had cancer, I had it cut out, let's Rock and Roll!!!!

peter.

I also want to thank with my heart everyone who wished me well, although I missed most of the messages I was amazed by the concern of my friends - thank you all.

Now, I want you to support a lovely lady who supported me..............then had to have brain surgery. She's tough, but we all need help. Linda L Jones you get better girl!

So long, and thanks for all the fish.................

2011-08-31T20:10:00.000+01:00

Well, not really, because I will be back. I thought it was appropriate as I was ending one stage of life to prepare for the next. I just read that John Thaw - Inspector Morse - had oesophageal cancer, the report I read of his death described him as a 'hard drinking smoker'...........yup.............that's about right for me! Only I stopped drinking 19 years ago, at the age of 38 I realised I'd put enough away to last me the rest of my life, and I had a new love (Nina) who would not have stayed around had I carried on. My only regret there was that I put wife number one through the hell of living with a drinker - not a good thing to do. I gave up smoking 8 years ago. I say this because, without attempting to sound pious, if I had still been doing either of those things I would have been dead now. No question. I would have been as dead as if I had come of the motorcycle whilst not wearing a crash helmet. The itty bit of cancer I have is operable only because my lungs still work, and I suppose giving the liver a chance to regrow helped, and, although there is a history of cancer in my family, I am pretty certain I did myself no favours in my previous life by putting anything that burned down my throat!

I am not going to preach and tell you to stop smoking, or drinking like there's no tomorrow - all I will say is, if you get nasty stuff later on in life because of it, take it like a man and accept it's nobody's fault but your own.

I'm in hospital on Sunday evening, with the operation on Monday. 5 days in high dependency unit, and a couple of weeks on the ward, then I should be home. That's when the hard work starts! I do have something to aim for though - but I'll tell you about that in another post! I can assure you that I have no plans to be an 'ex beadweaver'! I am taking my sketchpad in with me, and I have already packed my beady bag in case I'm in longer that I expected!

I am feeling very positive and rock & roll about this..................can't wait to show off the scars, I have heard of one man who tells people he was bitten by a shark - the scars look exactly like it!

This is the last blogpost I'm doing before I go in, although I'm still on Facebook, and I'll probably be doing some Skypeing on Saturday, so take care everyone............and I'll see you when I get out!

peter x

Perlen Poesie No.10

2011-08-23T22:59:00.000+01:00

I have 4 designs in this issue! Due out on Sept 10th (I'm in hospital then!) and I think it should be available from mailorder-beads.co.uk for UK readers. Check out the mag at Perlen Poesie
One of mine is top right on the picture!

Me?..............80% right brain!

Open mouth, insert foot.

2011-08-21T22:41:00.000+01:00

I did it again. I am becoming very adept at doing it. I would go so far as to say I have a certificate for doing it. What is 'it' you ask - upsetting normal people is 'it'. I have an uncanny knack of being able to make the most mild mannered person want to see me boiled in oil, and my usual hunting grounds for these nice mild mannered people are the multitude of 'forums' on the web.

I have left, or ceased to post on, a few 'craft related' forums............I was a moderator on one, with almost libelous consequences............and I swore I would never try to interact with nice people again, at least not online. So, when I was diagnosed with cancer, why on earth did I join a forum full of nice, supportive, normal cancer sufferers and their families?

I have no idea, that's why. It is only now, after I realised the 'niceness' was too much for me, and snapped at a usually unsnapped at member of said forum, that I realise I do not need 'support', I do not need 'a family', I do not need 'empathy' - I need practical advice and pointing in a few right directions.

In case this begins to sound as if it's all 'me me me', I did ask Nina, and she agrees - practical help is preferable to 'understanding' any day!

So. I apologise publicly to the Macmillan Cancer Support online forum, and can only say in my defence I do not play well with the other children, it was my mistake to think I could integrate with nice people - I'm an Artist for god's sake! We don't mix with normality!

I shall now return to being a bad assed curmudgeon - I thank you. x

I have a date!

2011-08-17T19:36:00.001+01:00

Operation on the 5th of September. It would have been earlier, but my surgeon is on holiday, and the option of another surgeon and a general anesthetist was outweighed by the fact that my surgeon has his own team, has done 14 oesophagectomies this year, and has only had one death.................which was nothing to do with the operation! Them is good odds I reckon!

My result from the treadmill cardio pulmonary test was extremely good, and as the main job post op is to get the lungs working again, I think I may beat this thing after all! I have had my doubts over the last few weeks, anybody would have, but everything is looking positive - including me.

I'm allowed a mobile phone in the ward, so I should be able to update regularly after the first 4 or 5 days (I'm in High Dependence Unit for the first few days).

I shall now go and see if Nina has finished her list of things I have to do around the house before I go in................and I'm not kidding! :) It's a small price to pay for the amount of nursing I'm going to put her through! Hehe!

I'm not.................really I'm not!

2011-08-14T20:21:00.000+01:00

You know when you have a blog you can see your 'statistics' - how many people viewed, where about in the world they are (hello Poland!), and what people have actually put into search engines to find you? Well. May I here and now declare to those lovely followers of my blog that, although it's going to be a close run thing, I am not actually dead yet.

I have had 'petersewell death' in three different languages over the last couple of weeks! Now, I appreciate this may be wishful thinking from a few, but I am willing to put it down to a misunderstanding for now, as long as it doesn't happen so often I begin to check my own pulse to make sure it isn't true!

I promise you, if I do die imminently, I will post as soon as possible to let you know. Until then I am very much alive............I have also just realised that by writing this blog post it will be found on search engines by entering 'petersewell death'. Bugger.

A Quick Update....................

2011-08-09T13:34:00.000+01:00

I've had all the tests I think they planned for me, and the result is that it's a squamous cell tumour of 3cm located in the lower oesophagus. I had two options, one was to go for radio and chemo therapy to get rid of it - which would mean I would never know if it was completely gone, and the other was surgery to remove the section of oesophagus it was in. I have chosen the surgery. I want to know the bloody thing's in a jar somewhere and not waiting to rear it's ugly head!

Things are moving really fast, and I expect to be in quite soon - I have a cardio pulmonary test on Thursday to see if I am fit enough for the operation, which is a biggy - google 'Ivor Lewis Oesophagectomy' and you'll get an idea of how big it is!

That's it, you now know as much as me. I'll let you know how my session on the hamster wheel goes on Thursday.

Tsarina!

2011-08-03T10:44:00.000+01:00

This will be my last design for a while, so I thought I'd better make it a good one! Not quite as over the top as I'd planned, but then what's the point of making something that Nina won't wear?:))
The gold beads are all 24kt plated size 15s, and the crystals are Swarovski 'Crystal Red Magma' - beautiful colour!

Roll on 2013!

2011-08-03T00:07:00.000+01:00

I have cancelled all my workshops for next year. I may regret it, but I decided that as much as I love my students I have become rather attached to the idea of growing old. So it's either get this cancer sorted out and get on with life, or.................well, there isn't an 'or' is there?

My apologies to anyone who wanted to endure yet another workshop with me, but I am already making plans for the 2013 season - and by then I might actually have some new stuff!

I'm going to see the surgeon tomorrow to find out what he's going to do, and when, so I'll keep you posted..................I'm glad I took up beading and not hang gliding now.

Here's another completely irrelevant photograph..................

Facebook 2

2011-07-31T00:05:00.000+01:00

Please don't send me any friend requests - I've got enough on my plate without having to wonder who I will upset by refusing. When I come out of the other side of this crap I'll be friends with everyone, until then I really am not in the mood for virtual friendships!

Facebook

2011-07-29T19:57:00.003+01:00

I'm cutting my friends list down again. Please don't be offended if I 'unfriend' you - I need a bit of me time right now, and I'm just keeping a few 'old timers' and people I know in real life! I want to stay on Facebook, but I also want to know who I'm talking to...................I hope you understand, and if you're still on the list tomorrow - you qualify as an old timer! :)

Life goes on.......................and all that stuff.

2011-07-28T19:03:00.000+01:00

I am quite a 'public' person these days. That is to say I have formed a persona around my Art and Beadwork which I am happy to let people into, only sometimes it gets a little strained, and I disappear from view for a while. The last month has been, to put it mildly, a little strained. I have also been trying to figure out just how 'public' I want to be, and the answer is - as much as I want to be!

A few weeks ago I went to my doctor with a 'lump in my throat', she sent me for an endoscopy, they sent me for a CT scan (after taking five biopsies), the result was that I have oesophageal cancer - a chunk of nasty stuff about a centimeter up from my stomach. The good news is that it seems not to have spread, I'll know next Tuesday, and as such is curable. Fairly big operation, but it can be chopped out and thrown in a jar at this stage. So. No 'outpourings', no prayers, no invoking the great god of beadweavers, and no negativity!

Nina and I have already been through the bit where we checked my life insurance to make sure it was up to date - everything has parameters, we did the bottom one - now we're on the top one.......................it's all good news!

So. Now you're up to date, and you can see why I haven't been as active online lately - it wasn't easy keeping it a secret until we knew for certain. I'm not going to do a 'this is my battle with cancer' blog, but I will keep you up to speed on how things are going.

Time to get back to the beads....................I've got workshops to design for!

A pony I met on Dartmoor

It's all about perspective.......................

2011-07-12T22:13:00.000+01:00

So. To try and put the last couple of weeks into perspective..............

Before I went playing down in Dorset & Cornwall I had a hip x ray - avid readers will already be aware that I am held together with bits of plastic and titanium already - the result of which I didn't really rush to find out. Anyhoo, it came back as 'moderate degeneration of both hips' - the last bastion of non arthritis in my skeleton had been breached, I have 'arthritic hips'....................I'm not even 60 yet!!!!

They are actually bad enough to warrant replacement, but I'll cross that bridge when I can't get over it. I digress. The result of this prognosis is that Nina decided the garden needed doing 'before I got worse' rather than at the end of the year - this is like the driver who, when stopped for speeding, said 'I was low on fuel, so I was trying to get to the petrol station before I ran out'.

We have removed the pond liner and planted two Rhododendrons, moved the stone seat - with hilarious consequences for Nina - to where the Eucalyptus tree used to be before we had to cut it down after the severe winter killed it. This involved carrying said stone seat over the hole I had left after removing the pond liner, picture a man with two knee replacements and everything else waiting to be replaced, and a lady with floppy shoes on, trying to manoeuvre a couple of hundredweight of stone seat around a six inch strip of ground and you will see why it didn't work out according to plan.

Nina tried straddling the hole, her feet went in the hole, the stone seat followed her feet, and she followed the stone seat, her fall only broken by her nose hitting the stone...............hard................and crunchy.

Three hours later we got back from A&E - the hooter definitely broken. We did, however, manage to get the seat in place the day after. Well.............if we didn't do it nobody else was going to!

During my rest periods from all this excitement I'm trying to come up with something amazing for next years workshop schedule - it's getting there, and so is the garden, and Nina's nose is looking better, and this is when it all needs to be put into perspective.

Nina broke her nose, but her glasses didn't break and cause more injury. I've got crap joints, but I can still walk upright. I have to get workshops sorted for next year, but that means I can still help people by teaching. Life ain't so bad at all! Oh, and I actually bought some rose coloured sunglasses..............like I ever needed them!

Here's one of the best photos I've ever taken..............

Newmillerdam - Wakefield

An Explanation.........................again.

2011-07-02T19:03:00.000+01:00

As some of you already know, I have been a judge on the 2011 Fashion Colorworks competition.

As most of you already know, I'm not one of those people who holds back if I have something to say.

Now, this in my opinion is a good thing for a judge of any kind, but it seems my opinions of some of the entries may have grated a few nerves along the way. Hopefully, I will try and throw some light on what I said, and why I said it.

A competition of any kind is just that - people challenging each other to produce better work than they have, it is not a 'display opportunity', nor is it intended to be a 'learning curve', although it frequently is. My comments about entries being far below the standard intended were aimed at the entries which had obviously been 'cobbled together' in the hope of some free exposure, in a few cases the photographs were not just bad, they were unreadable - therefore unjudgeable! (made up word)

I have been taken to task about not 'giving constructive criticism'..............there were nearly two hundred entries, and we had to kiss a lot of frogs before we found the princes and princesses! If constructive criticism is wanted, then ask for it, otherwise you will be put in the same class as the winners - it's a competition, remember?

I am not a first class beader, I teach workshops to beaders who are head and shoulders above me in the skill scale, I do, however, take a huge amount of pride in what I put out there for the world to see.................and I also know when I make rubbish. There is a common thing amongst the craft community of praising each other's work be it good or bad, in the interests of 'nurturing' them to produce bigger and better things - a long time ago a beader friend told me that my fastenings let me down, if she had told me I was wonderful I would still be making crap fastenings............nobody gets better without criticism!

If you don't like my honest criticism, find out if I'm a judge and complain. Otherwise treat it in the spirit of which it is given - to help, further, and improve your work using my own experience of being told what is good and what is not!

I shall now don my flak jacket and await the bullets.

peter

Workshops, kits, patterns, and forward planning!

2011-06-27T19:04:00.002+01:00

As you are probably aware by now, I have been cruising the wilds of Dorset and Cornwall for the last 16 days enjoying myself teaching my designs, techniques, and tricks to ladies who know more about beadwork than I ever will. The overriding feeling which has hit me like a ton of bricks is how well the aforementioned ladies have accepted me, and have treated me as 'one of their own'!

I can't name everyone, but I would like to thank each and every one of you for making me feel welcome, and laughing in all the right places. Next year should be a blast!

Thanks to that blatant segue I can let you know that I will be back at Stitchncraft next year, I will be back at Portland next year, I will be back at Saltash next year, and there is another surprise waiting in the wings! All I have to do now is make up something to teach!

Soooooo........................the kits and tutorials..............I was planning to release these by the end of this year - it isn't going to happen. This is because the kits I was planning to release are still ongoing workshops, so it would be totally unfair to workshop students to discover I was selling for £20 something they had just paid £40 for. This years workshops will be next years kits & tutorials - next years workshops will be the following years kits & tutorials etc. As I did no workshops last year this means nothing will be up for sale until next year, I will have patterns in Perlen Poesie magazine, the Beadworker's Guild Journal, and Sonya is still available in last Oct/Nov Beadwork mag.

I really am sorry I have nothing to offer this year, but at least it means when they do come out I will have tested them to death!

Forward planning then. I have four designs to teach at Stitchncraft next year, 'Chimera' is one, and 'Melissa' will be another - though sans Russian Leaf and sporting a nifty softening fringe. The other two are 'variants' of existing pieces, although they will be so 'variant' that I'm not sure if I'm even going to use the same beads! I have to get them done by the end of August to show Lynn, so not long to wait for at least a taster.

I have a couple or three ideas going around my head at the moment, but it's going to take a week to sort out stuff from the tour, and I have a pond to de slime, and a car to de splattered fly from the bonnet. If nature can't fly above 100mph it shouldn't be on the motorway.

That's it. You're up to speed with what's going through my head - well, the stuff you'll understand without medication anyway. Thanks for reading, and thanks for being my 'invisible friends'................really.

peter

Heidi at Stitchncraft!

Dorset & Cornwall................part 1

2011-06-18T16:12:00.000+01:00

Soooooo...................Maryshka seemed to go well last Saturday, thanks mainly to a dozen lovely ladies who were far more gentle with me than I expected. The day after was Wincanton, for which the word 'washout' is far too understated. It threw it down! However, the Russian Leaf and 2 needle RAW went down well with the few brave students I had, so it was worth coming out, and I got to give Maureen on the BWG stand a very wet hug!

Monday was down to Portland for the Melissa workshop, which went really well I thought - although my 'goodie box' was virtually pillaged by normally gentile ladies! It's amazing how women change at the sight of sparkly stuff! Thanks ladies!

I've been staying at my sister's in Cornwall for a short break before another workshop on Monday, and so far have managed to fit in the boat ride out to sea, a trip to the marine aquarium, miles of narrow lane driving over Dartmoor, and fish & chips in the rain! Hello English Summer!

Just about sorted all my stuff out for the next phase of workshops at Stitchncraft - I think there may be still a couple of places on the Anastasia workshop on Friday, but I'm not sure. I'll let you know how they go!

pretty isn't it?

Update on Wincanton......................

2011-06-06T11:14:00.000+01:00

The offer of Hobnobs & choccy digestive biscuits seems to be working............places are filling up on the 'Olga' earring workshops at the West of England Bead Fair!

Don't worry about being too late to get the materials for this, I am bringing a limited number of kits with me - silver 3mm beads an' all!

Apart from me not being able to gorge on aforementioned Hobnobs because I'm on a diet, it should be a good workshop!!! Look forward to seeing you there! Oh, and I'll bring some work to show off!

peter

The West of England Bead Fair!

2011-05-29T18:00:00.000+01:00

Or.............more specifically............my workshops at The West of England Bead Fair. Which have no bookings. With a fortnight to go. Am I worried? Nope. I have confidence that bookings for my Russian Leaf and Right Angle Weave Earrings will come flooding in with minutes to spare!

I have to admit, it was a problem for me to find a workshop to fit into a 2 hour session, and I also understand that when you go to a bead fair the last thing you want to do is waste 2 hours of it listening to a bloke drone on about how easy it is to make something you'll only wear once before adapting it and making the design better.

How about if I brought Hobnobs? Or even choccy digestives?

Better still, how about if I said that you could always bring along a Swarovski rivoli and we'll bezel that at the same time?

I've done my bit - if you don't book for what could be a one to one tutorial, at least I get to see more of the Bead Fair! Oh, and on the flyer it says 3mm seedbeads and Firepolished beads - I use 3mm sterling silver beads and 3mm Firepolished.............looks much better! :)) Here's a picture of some I made earlier...................

Do you ever stop to think.......................

2011-05-24T20:06:00.000+01:00

...............what the hell am I doing?

I have just finished workshop tutorial number 6, for June, I have another 2 to do for June, and one for October, and possibly one for September. Anyone who has been brave and insulated enough to follow my ramblings is aware that bits of me are either falling off, replaced, or have just given up the ghost and stopped working. So. What does Peter do? He books ten workshops, in the hope that the medical profession will have invented something in the next three weeks to alleviate the aforementioned poorly bit pain. You know it won't - the medical profession knows it won't, so why do I think it's a good idea?

Therapy is probably the answer to that, occupational therapy. I have had arthritis to some degree since 1982, and in that time I have discovered two kinds of 'poorly people' - those who moan about it, and those who get on with it. I have always tried to be in the last group, didn't always make it, but I tried. So when I'm pretending to be superfit and bouncing around threading needles...............it's only because I am full of either codeine or coffee, or preferably both.

As they chant at all the finest ballet performances..............Bring it on!!!!!!!

A secret...............................liaison

2011-05-10T14:03:00.000+01:00

Last year, around August time, my dear friend Nefer Kane - she who makes the beautiful Art Dolls and is one of the most talented Artists I have ever known, asked me if I would make something for her. It was to be an exchange - a piece of crystal embroidered material for a doll made to my request...............
The result of this was that I received the amazingly beautiful 'Queen of the Night' from Mozart's 'Magic Flute', and Nefer got a bit of cloth with some crystals on it. I thought it was a bit one sided, but, as most Artists do, Nefer played down the work she had done on my doll - so here I will play down the work I did on the material!
It is to be incorporated into one of Nefer's designs, so you will be able to see it in it's full glory when she has used it, until then, here are some photos................
The material is silk, and the gold beads are 24kt gold plated, the crystals are all Swarovski - which made them very difficult to photograph!

Well, this is something new..................

2011-05-03T23:01:00.001+01:00

I shall come straight to the point. There have been a few, a lot, of times in my life when I haven't been......shall we say...........a very nice person to know. This evolved from a lot of things, but, although I was never actually a 'bad person', I got bloody close to being one. Which makes life number two - this one - more of a discovery of the soul than the first one was. You are, by now, fully aware of the effect Nina has in my life, but recently a few other things have found their way in. I have been the recipient of generosity from people I had previously not given much thought about, I have formed strong and affectionate relationships in the ethernet, I have learned that my actions, even though they are 'virtual', have far reaching consequences - both good and bad.

I am learning that if people are nice to you, it is both logical and karmic to pass on that generosity, that love, that help, that caring, and that responsibility. It probably sounds quite normal to most of you, but for me it is new and exciting to find out that being nice to people, genuinely nice, is what life is about. Be ready for a lot more sharing!

On that subject, I have posted photographs of my late Mother's designs on my website for public viewing - they spent around 40 years hidden away in my Father's attic, and when I 'inherited' them they nearly ended up doing the same thing in my possession, purely because I held them as 'personal'. Joyce - my Mum - was an Artist, and like all the Artists I know, would have hated her work not to be seen, therefore here they are, and if you want to use the designs as inspiration to make something beautiful all the better..............just tell people they were designed by Joyce Sewell. Here's a taster......................

Procrastination really is the thief of time it seems..............

2011-04-27T23:02:00.000+01:00

I just checked my diary - there are just over five weeks until I start my workshops at Stitchncraft. Five weeks! I could have sworn I had at least five months left, which is why I have no instructions, handouts, or - let's be honest here - idea of what I'm doing!

I have made a note in the aforementioned diary to begin work next Monday, I have 2 workshops at the West of England Bead Fair at Wincanton, four workshops at Stitchncraft Beads, a workshop in Portland, and a workshop in Saltash. Now..............this is eight designs we're talking about here, and I have no idea how many different stitches, so I'm hoping a lot of this will come flooding back to me when I start typing instructions - as a lot of my students on these workshops could probably teach me a thing or two about beading it may be a good thing to know how I actually made this stuff!

I've got a new workroom now. Nina decided she had heard my criticisms of CSI Miami, New York, Glasgow, Albania, and Cape Cod too many times, and has evicted me from the living room. I have a whole spare room to myself, with the exception of Freya, and patio doors leading onto the balcony over the kitchen roof, but it doesn't feel the same if I can't grunt and hrrrumph now and again.

I have completely forgotten why I started this blog entry. I'd better go and tell the nurse I haven't had my cocoa yet. Here's another of my paintings..............

El Dorado

2011-04-22T10:55:00.000+01:00

A couple of weeks ago I received some dichroic cabochons from the lovely Kandra Norsigian - Kandra's Beads - which completely blew me away. I don't usually do a lot of colour in my designs, but if I was going to do anything with these I would have to do a rethink! After days looking into the myriad colours of the largest cab, and getting out nearly every bead I possessed, I settled on the green/gold/fire opal combination - hope you agree.........................

Nina has always wanted me to make something 'adaptable', so this is a bracelet which can be detached to use the main cab as a pendant, and a necklace which can be used either with the cab at the front, or the double loop & toggle at the front. There will be a stickpin brooch to match when the glue dries! That's it, finished. I am now really going to get some instructions written for my June workshops....................really.

THE BRACELET

THE TOGGLE & LOOP NECKLACE

THE CABOCHON BACK OF THE NECKLACE

THE BRACELET CABOCHON ATTACHED TO THE NECKLACE

THE COMPONENTS

Chimera listed on Etsy!

2011-04-18T21:51:00.001+01:00

After a long time wondering whether to or not, I've listed Chimera for sale on Etsy. The price reflects not only the amount of work and design involved, but also the fact that it won't be repeated! If you are interested drop me an e mail - you will get a bit off for being one of my blogettes!

Update......................

2011-04-12T09:52:00.003+01:00

So.................what's new?.................I'm featured in the Beadworker's Guild Journal this month, with a tutorial for my 'Victorian Earrings' on the following page, another workshop at Stitchncraft in June is full - 'Selene' - and 'Tanya' only has one or two places left, and I have finally made out a lesson plan for aforementioned workshops - instruction handouts to follow!

I am actually working my little socks off on a project which I can't shout about until it's published, nothing really spectacular, but as usual I'm going above and beyond the call of duty!

The lovely Kandra has sent me some of her dichroic cabochons, when I make something with these it's going to be amazing! They 'out bling' even me!

The workshop details for the West of England Bead Fair at Wincanton are on the website now - http://westofenglandevents.co.uk/wincanton.htm I have two workshops on the list, the 'Olga' Russian Leaf and 2 needle RAW earrings, book quickly before they sell out!!

Off to try and write some instruction sheets now..............................oh, don't forget I have an Etsy shop - http://beadsage.etsy.com

CHIMERA

2011-04-03T11:33:00.002+01:00

Chimera
OK, so it's not a monster, but it certainly felt like it as I was designing it! I wanted to have a go at something asymmetrical but aesthetically pleasing, it also had to be practical and strong enough to wear, the original idea had three strands on the right hand side, but reinforcing the single strand made it work better.

My new found extender has been changed slightly, I've left out the rivoli crystal this time, and attached the toggle directly to the loop.

I have a feeling this might just be a 'love or hate' piece - I'll be interested to hear what you think. Here she is...................................

The big picture...........................

2011-03-27T18:35:00.000+01:00

...............or 'thinking waaaay outside the box'.

I have always been able to stand outside situations and see the whole thing, not from 'both sides', but from a spherical perspective. Now, I thought that was normal. I have since learned that it isn't. Trying to explain this yesterday, I used the analogy of the karate blow - always aim for a point on the other side of the object. A friend put a link to a beautiful video of the Aurora Borealis in Northern Norway on Facebook yesterday, and I watched it amazed at the continuing beauty of nature and the universe, it was only when I'd finished watching it that I realised I hadn't been looking at the Northern Lights after the first couple of minutes, I'd been trying to recognise the constellations behind them.......................there are also a couple of shooting stars if you look closely!

It's often been said that I don't have any barriers, when I was young I used to say I didn't have a handbrake - if I crashed it was time to stop, so why should anyone have barriers? I never understood racism, if someone upset me it didn't matter what colour they were, I would still be annoyed. If someone saved me from dying it wouldn't have mattered if they were black, white, green, human, or Venusian, they had still saved me from dying!

I have no idea why I have no barriers, if I knew I may be able to pass the secret on to people who seem to need the security of barriers, to make every living thing respect the right of every other living thing to exist, and to stop searching for the meaning of life...........................we don't have that long a lifespan, and the older you get, the more you realise you know nothing!

This was a loooong time ago!

Thanks Spike!

2011-03-19T20:29:00.000Z

A professor investigating the psychology of humour says Spike Milligan was the author of the world's funniest joke. Five years ago, Professor Richard Wiseman did an online experiment in which 300,000 people from around the world voted for the best gag. Professor Wiseman now says the winner was almost certainly written by Milligan during his Goon Show days.

The joke runs as follows: Two hunters are out in the woods in New Jersey when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his ' phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps, 'My friend is dead! What can I do?' The operator says, 'Calm down, I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead.' There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says, 'OK, now what?'

A few bits you didn't know about!

2011-03-19T11:52:00.000Z

A crystal bicone bracelet made for Nina - 2 needle RAW

A crystal bracelet on memory wire made for my cousin Beth

A crystal set including the 2 needle RAW bracelet in 'Siam'

Raise peyote bracelet, I can't remember who's design this is - I just know it isn't mine!

'Kepler Star' cuff from a pattern by Bead Infinitum - Gwen Fisher and Florence Turnour

My other 'hobby' - Blackwork. I made this as a present for my sister.

One of my paintings - this weighs a ton as it's done on Tile Grout and plywood!

The latest hobby.....................fishing fly tying! This is obviously a long way from being ok!

See - it's not all seedbeading!

A Quick Update..................

2011-03-16T13:13:00.000Z

I've just spoken to Stitchncraft Beads, and the update on the June workshops is:
Maryshka - fully booked
Selene - one place left
Tanya - three places left
Anastasia - six places left
Each workshop is twelve places, so if you're thinking of having a go,I wouldn't leave it too long to book! Big thanks to everyone who has already booked - it should be fun!

The Eight Commandments................plus one!

2011-03-14T12:36:00.003Z

I posted this yesterday, but on reading it back I thought it was a little............dogmatic. I do tend to lapse into preaching when I get passionate about a subject! Anyhoo..................this is the second attempt, and if it comes over as dogmatic, then I probably meant it that way! :)

MY EIGHT COMMANDMENTS TO BEAD BY....................

PRACTICE

When I first began beading, I spent months learning around sixteen different stitches before I attempted to make a necklace. When I teach a class it can be hard to get over to some students that the rivoli they have just learned to bead around is not going to be good enough to make into a necklace - bead around another dozen, and then you may have something worth showing! Beadweaving is an art, don't expect results without practice and mistakes!

PATIENCE

You are going to make your magnum opus, you have designed the most wonderful piece of jewellery ever seen, you spend an hour stitching a delicate St Petersburg weave chain...............and then you look back at it and realise you missed a bead 2" back. What do you do? You pull it back 2" and pick up the bead that you missed, that's what you do! There are no short cuts in beadweaving................or any Art come to that. If you are not prepared to correct even the slightest mistake you are not beadweaving, the finished piece should be as close to perfection as you can get, not 'well - it'll do for now'.

TENACITY

Pretty much the same as patience, only one step further. You have beaded around your rivoli, now you're going to embellish it with a beautiful picot design. This is where you bend needles. You are going to be threading your needle through bits your needle doesn't want to go. I have spent maybe ten minutes trying to get through one bead before now, if you have made your mind up that's where you want to go, then nothing should stop you - persistence does work, eventually!

ACCURACY

There is nothing worse than a design which is obviously supposed to be symmetrical, but, because of the way it's put together, looks as if it's been in a car crash! Plan, sketch, lay out, and stand back from your work often - look at it as if it was someone else asking you what you think, and be self critical. There are a lot of very experienced beadweavers in this world who will see the mistakes within seconds!

ATTENTION TO DETAIL

I have just finished making 'Muses in Springtime' - the design before that was 'The Muses'. Why did I make another one? I made another one because I knew I couldn't have offered the original for sale. The original was made using Toho cylinder beads and Toho size 15 seedbeads, I discovered that Toho 15s are larger than Miyuki size 15s, this meant that my rivoli bezelling wasn't as tight as I would have liked, and close inspection showed a lot of uneven beadwork. I made the 'Springtime' version with Miyuki delicas and Miyuki size 15 seedbeads, and larger rivolis. It worked exactly how I wanted, tight, even, beadwork, which I would be happy for anyone to inspect closely. One last thing - hide your cut threads! It's always a good idea to photograph the piece and check it yourself from the blown up image.

QUALITY OF MATERIALS

I'll keep this short - if you use crap beads you will make a crap necklace. Any questions?

QUALITY OF TOOLS

Not quite the same as above, because sometimes cheaper tools are better for the job in hand than the more expensive tools. John James needles (which are also sold under the Beadsmith label) are recommended for beading, I break them. My work involves teasing needles through already tight beads, I need a needle that bends, my favourite used to be the Beadalon size 12s until my friend Kandra kindly sent me some (even cheaper) Pony size 12s - result! I used five size 12s and two size 15s on the 'Springtime' necklace! The tool you cannot skimp on though is your thread snipping tool - make sure you have the right one for whatever thread you use.

COORDINATION

One of the first things taught in Art class is the importance of Colour, Texture, and Proportion, in everything. Put the beads and crystals together on the beading mat before you decide to use them in a design - if they 'don't look quite right' then don't use them! Try various combinations, I usually give myself 'parameters' - the worst possible scenario, and then the best possible scenario - you then know which end of the scale you can work in! Proportion seems to be difficult for some beaders, you wouldn't attach a 60mm chunk of Labradorite to a tiny silver necklace chain, so why try to attach a 12mm rivoli to a huge cellini spiral necklace and expect it to look right? The idea of 'standing back' and looking at your work holds true here - painters do it all the time, and you are basically making a work of art using beads instead of paint.

MUSE

Yes, I know this makes it nine! It is too important to miss out though, I believe every Artist must have a Muse. I'll explain what I believe a Muse to be - a muse inspires, motivates, applauds, and criticises. A lot of Artists have 'spiritual' Muses, where the muse is not a person, but an ethereal energy - my personal Muse is my wife Nina. A Muse should be able to look at your work and tell you it's rubbish with no fear of retribution, and a Muse should be the first to compliment you when you make something wonderful. I often hear of beaders who have 'lost their mojo' - what has happened here is that their Muse is having a vacation, at times like this it is better to find something else to do until they return, if you attempt to make anything in this period I can assure you it will not be as good as you thought it was going to be!

So, there you are, my eight commandments plus one. I hope I don't come over as dogmatic in them, these are things which rule my work - they don't have to rule yours, but maybe it might be worth trying one or two. My main work ethic has always been 'if you're not enjoying it, you're doing it wrong'. Enjoy your beading.

peter

Here's a painting from the days when I thought I could paint!

Muses in Springtime

2011-03-14T09:35:00.000Z

I am proud of this. That doesn't happen often, but this is as near perfect as I'll ever make anything. I didn't break one bead - which, after bezelling ten rivolis, is an achievement - it's balanced, and the colours blew me away when it all came together! That's enough of me crowing - here she is:

Work in progress.................

2011-03-12T22:02:00.001Z

I've been showing my latest version of 'The Muses' necklace, now known as 'Muses in Springtime', on my weebly website. Nip over and have a look - I have included some blood for those of you who need to see me bleed when designing!

Etsy

2011-03-09T19:15:00.002Z

For those who have never heard of it, Etsy is a selling site for handmade items, although this has been questioned by a lot of us recently. It is, however, possibly the largest online outlet for us Artists and Artisans, and as such is difficult to ignore.

I left Etsy a few months ago as a matter of principle and as a protest against their endorsement of a seller who was peddling what could only be described as debased filth in the form of greetings cards. I believe he is no longer there.

I have joined again - under my 'stage name' of Beadsage - in the hope of a better experience, and a more receptive buyer base for my necklaces.

I make these necklaces because I love to make them, I love to see Nina wearing the more 'classical' of my designs, and I get very frustrated when I know they are applauded by fellow artists, but fail to sell. I know why they don't sell, I am not pitching at the right market. I am not networking amongst people who will pay me what a design is worth - mainly because most of my online circle of friends are perfectly capable of making the same thing themselves!

I have a skill, I have artistry, I have flair - what I don't have is contact with the customer base I am aiming for, and what I also don't have is a break. We all need 'the break', the moment when someone, somewhere, says 'what the hell are you doing here? follow me and I'll make you famous!'....................we all dream.

So, where was I? Oh yes - Etsy. I've listed Hatpins and Stickpins so far, but I am planning to list at least some of my necklaces - you never know who might be watching! Rock 'n Roll! http://beadsage.etsy.com

My solution to World Poverty

2011-03-07T14:05:00.000Z

No one person in the whole of the world should be allowed to have disposable assets of more than £10m. It's enough for anyone to live on. Any excess should be donated to a central bank for distribution to the poor and needy - not complete 'distribution of wealth' as it allows people to benefit from high earnings, but it puts an end to obscene amounts owned by individuals.
Don't thank me - it should be obvious.

Hatpins!

2011-03-04T21:02:00.003Z

I seem to be doing a lot of diversifying lately, mainly due to having bought a 110ml tube of E6000 glue - big tube! After I had started making stickpins it became apparent that natural progression was going to be hatpins - so here's the first batch. The lampworked beads are credited on my website.

UPDATE - NOW LISTED ON ARTFIRE!

Fashion Colorworks Beading Contest!

2011-03-03T19:11:00.001Z

I am guilty of procrastination.................I should have advertised this amazing beading contest a long long time ago! Why should I have advertised this amazing beading contest run by the lovely Zoya Gutina a long long time ago you ask?.............................I am one of the three judges is why!!!!

You, a pantone color set, and a bunch of beads - go for it!! Have a look at Zoya's site with all the details and stuff I'm supposed to be looking for on it -

http://www.mylovelybeads.com/contest/

Update.......................

2011-03-02T08:55:00.000Z

I took a photo of the full array of stickpins to date, I'll put in on my website and Artfire so you can pick your favourite more easily! Remember I am happy to do colour variations and slight design changes to your requirements.

New website at last!

2011-02-28T15:56:00.001Z

I have a new 'portfolio' website, it's a free one, but who cares? It's a good one! You also get the full life story on the bio page - I got fed up of trying to pick out the interesting bits! Have a look...http://petersewell.weebly.com

No flies on me!

2011-02-27T20:32:00.001Z

I have taken up a hobby. In keeping with my need to be at odds with life, the universe, and everything, I have taken up the art of fly tying, although I hate fishing!
This came about because I have relatives (the couple left that I still speak to) who fish, and the general consensus is that if I can make things out of tiny glass beads I should be reasonably able to learn to tie a fly on a hook. So far I have made one under instruction, one sort of on my own, and one really on my own...............which is by far the prettiest. I am bookmarking websites with gnarled old fishermen telling me which fly will catch which fish at which lake or river it happens to be frequenting at that particular time of year. I have learned two things by researching this, firstly, that 'flies are made for fishermen, not fish', and secondly, that nobody has a bloody clue what makes a good fly work!
I'm going to aim for 'pretty', and then if it doesn't catch anything I can incorporate it in a design and pretend I meant it that way.
Here's the solo attempt.....................after a bit of renovation...................I have no idea what it will catch.

Loki

2011-02-24T23:04:00.000Z

As most of you know, my cat Loki and I have been inextricably linked for the past 16 years. On Sunday he stopped eating, yesterday morning he stopped drinking, we had decided that when he died he would have us with him, and have as peaceful and natural a passing as we could give him. Nina and I took shifts to nurse him since Sunday, and the agreement was that the first sign that he was in any distress we would get him to the vet, but he slept, and slept, and changed positions a few times, and slept again. He passed over at 5.18pm this evening - with no fuss or drama, a natural dignified end for a King amongst cats. He will be buried in the garden next to his pond tomorrow morning, and a rosemary bush planted over him for remembrance. Blessed be Loki.

To clarify..................

2011-02-18T19:29:00.000Z

I said a while ago - just before Christmas I think - that I wouldn't be selling online again. I lied. Not intentionally, but out of principle. I now have a new philosophy - to hell with principle. Unless it's a commission or a present, anything I make is for sale, but you have to let me know you want it and I'll post it on Artfire. This also has the effect of making prices very 'negotiable'!

What?

The Muses

2011-02-17T12:59:00.000Z

Clio - History
Urania - Astronomy
Melpomene - Tragedy
Thalia - Comedy
Terpsichore - Dance
Calliope - Epic Poetry
Erato - Love Poetry
Polyhymnia - Songs to the Gods
Euterpe - Lyric Poetry

Nine Muses, nine Rivolis, each representing a muse. The clasp is also an extender with a toggle and loop attached to the rivoli instead of the usual two of a kind! Oh, and the silver beads are just that - sterling silver 3mm balls, no expense spared!
I'm now going to clear my work area and sort out a box of goodies I received this morning from someone who can only be described as an angel....................thank you. x
Here are The Muses..........................

Ups

2011-02-16T18:50:00.001Z

OK.....................we'll give it another go. As most of you know by now I had a very bad allergic reaction to another attempt at making me into The Big Bad Wolf, as a result of this I deleted nearly everybody with an American accent I knew on Facebook. Having had time to sift out the baddies from the goodies, I am slowly regaining friendships I probably shouldn't have deleted, but got caught in the crossfire. The long and the short is, without being too 'precious', I am taking friend requests, and sending out friend requests.
I am a couple of days away from finishing the 'Muses' necklace - watch this space. Thanks for hanging in there.
peter

Ups & Downs

2011-02-10T10:28:00.000Z

As they say - it's been a funny week. I have this ridiculously unpredictable spine which has a mind of it's own when it comes to deciding when to hurt, and for the last ten days or so it's played 'let's see how much sciatica I can give him before he collapses in a heap'. At one stage it was winning, because the sciatica went from my spine right down to my right knee, which is still recovering from a total replacement a year ago..............my consultant assures me it wasn't operated on by a passing tea lady - I did ask.

So, that's the down bit.............oh, except for the fact that I should be splashing about in our brand new state-of-the-art hydrotherapy pool at the moment, if it was working. It isn't, so I remain dry and sore. C'est la vie.

The good bit - I've made a bunch of St Ickpins, and there are some beauties in there! I'm now working on a stickybroochy type of thing..................we'll see how it comes out.

I have also discovered another very beautiful person amongst my Facebook friends this week, it seems the nicer I become, the nicer people are to me. I think of this as a revelation, Nina tells me it's obvious. It can be tricky being a cynic.

Another tip I've learned in the last couple of days - when bezelling a 12mm rivoli don't listen to the books which tell you to use 30 delicas on the first row, use 32, otherwise you'll need a tyre lever to get the rivoli to stay in. Last tip - if you're not enjoying what you're doing, you're doing it wrong.

.............and there's more................!

2011-02-06T14:47:00.000Z

Latest batch of stickies - they're all on Artfire for $50 as commission pieces!

Stickpins 2 - St Ickpin Strikes Back.

2011-02-03T12:08:00.001Z

Just some updated photos, and a new violet one...............
NOW LISTED ON ARTFIRE!

Stickpins

2011-02-02T11:00:00.000Z

Not St Ickpin - the patron saint of brooches, but the lapel brooch of the same name. I discovered this was a really constructive way of using those 'components' which were originally made for designs that never materialised!
I also made a couple of larger ones to see where it went, and I'm pleased with the result - I may just make a few more and put 'em up for sale.
Not writing a huge amount this morning, I have the back from hell, and even had to cancel my physiotherapy session in the hydro pool tomorrow! Here's a piccy.................

Something doesn't add up....................

2011-01-24T14:55:00.000Z

OK, so you know I don't do politics, I also don't usually air my personal views - outside Beading - in public, but the report on the news this morning got under my skin - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12249909

'The developed world is going to run out of food'........................WHAT????

I have the answer to most of the 'developed world's' food shortage fears.................STOP BLOODY WASTING IT!!

The amount of food thrown out after a meal, the amount of unused stock given to pig farmers from supermarkets, the amount of unpresentable food thrown out of restaraunts, could probably feed a third world country!

Do you see drivers pouring petrol out onto the side of the road? Do you see drinkers pouring half the glass of scotch away because it didn't look as nice as the other glass did?

Use the food you buy, buy the food you need, give away the food you have over - every city has a shelter which will accept it, use clingfilm to save what you don't feel like eating until the next day. It's common sense surely?

Behave as if you don't know where your next meal is coming from - you won't waste what's in front of you then!

OK........................lecture over. Back to beading.

A story..........................

2011-01-22T12:46:00.001Z

It was New Years Eve, and the house was brightly decorated with sprigs of holly and mistletoe. Only the clicking of Grandma's knitting needles broke the silence. The children, Polly, eight, and Janice, six, were seated before the roaring fireplace leafing through a picture book. Then they rose and went over to Grandma's rocker. Polly climbed up on the arm of the chair, and Janice snuggled into Grandma's warm lap.

"Tell us a story Grandma", Janice pleaded.

"Oh", said the old lady, putting aside her knitting and wrapping her arms about the children, "What should I tell you?"

Little Polly's voice came gently, "Tell us about the time you were a whore in Chicago."

Richard Prince 1994

Workshops 2011 update

2011-01-18T21:25:00.000Z

I've just had an update from Lynn at Stitchncraft for my workshop bookings in June - there are 12 places available on each workshop...............

Maryshka 11th June - Sold Out
Selene 23rd June - 8 places left
Anastasia 24th June - 9 places left
Tanya 25th June - 4 places left

Don't forget I will also be teaching two workshops at The West of England Bead Fair Wincanton on the 12th June, these will be a stunning pair of 'Russian Leaf' earrings using sterling silver and fire polished beads, and a pair of earrings using the same materials, but in the dreaded 2 needle Right Angle Weave! Don't worry - we have photographic instructions!

As if I hadn't pushed it far enough, I'll be doing a bit of demonstrating at The Newbury Bead Fair on the 26th June - this is partly because I love my work, and partly because it's on my way home!

I will be wending my way down to Stitchncraft next Tuesday to take most of my work into the gallery for my February showing. I will also be meeting the lovely Heather from the Bead Worker's Guild Journal - watch for the April issue!

Now I will go and make something with my own instructions - it'll all end in tears.

My old dog Sam - 4 years gone now bless him.

Once a Boy Scout................................

2011-01-11T19:24:00.000Z

I'm just about ready, all the necklaces and a few bracelets are packed, biography and artist's statement laminated, big A4 picture of a hat with me in it laminated, and presentation folder all ordered and pretty. So, when do I need all this for you ask? About two weeks time I reply. This is for my month in the Stitchncraft Gallery - Lynn is exhibiting anything I can pack for the month of February, and I'm really excited about it. There, I broke the golden rule of cool, I actually admitted being excited about something. The truth is, I have the social life of a reclusive Giant Panda, and the only people who get to see my work first hand are usually visiting! The idea of volumes of enthusiastic beaders being able to analyze my work frightens the hell out of me, but part of me is going to enjoy the 'showing off' element of it. Even my wonderfully supportive little sister is talking about driving up from Cornwall!

If you get near Shaftesbury in Dorset during February have a look in - there are a few pieces for sale, and a few not for sale, but all of them are there to look at!

deviantART

2011-01-09T20:00:00.002Z

I now have most of my new stuff in my deviantART gallery. No prices, and it's not all for sale, but at least you get the pictures!
Thanks to Karen in Chicago for sending me this Lolcat image - it's one of my favourites!

Stitchncraft Beads Gallery

2011-01-02T14:35:00.001Z

As you probably know by now, I am teaching at Stitchncraft Beads during June - and at the West of England Bead Fair - what you may not know is that I will have a display of my work in the Stitchncraft Gallery throughout February!

I will be showing around twenty of my necklaces, and most of them will be available to buy - I am also going to do something I said I never would, and have a 'sale'! During February only, and only through Stitchncraft, I will be reducing prices by a third (33%) ..............ish. This discount is based on online prices I have offered on Etsy & Artfire.

I shall now go and put some stuff in presentation boxes!

The 'Shoulder'.......................

2010-12-30T12:50:00.002Z

I had my appointment yesterday with the consultant who did my shoulder, which was on December 15th, two weeks ago. An appointment after only two weeks? Thought I. There must have been something else found during surgery, thought I. By now you may be getting some idea of how much I worry about not much, it's a consequence of having a body full of arthritic joints, I'm always wondering where the next one's going to be.

Anyhoo, to continue, it was a normal 'follow up' to see how I was doing, and the upshot is that I was doing so well he's discharged me completely! Not a sniff of a physiotherapist - which is always a good thing in my book - and instructions to just keep doing whatever I've been doing.

So the beadwork is back on course, it's been a bit of a crap couple of weeks, but I am resilient, tenacious, and optimistic, so here comes 2011!

Out of the strong...............came forth sweetness.

2010-12-27T16:58:00.000Z

In a week it will be 2011.
In a week I will begin making beautiful beadwork again.
In a week I will still be Peter Sewell.
In a week I will be preparing to teach advanced workshops throughout the year.
In a week I will be ready for the new year.
In a week I will have forgotten all the crap that happened in the previous week.
In a week the Phoenix and I will be starting a journey.

2010-12-24T15:40:00.003Z

Sahara

2010-12-16T09:25:00.000Z

So here's Nina's Christmas present! The 'Royal Sahara jasper' was from Stones that Rock and all I really did was frame it. Anyway, here you are........................

Perlen Poesie Magazine

2010-12-09T23:41:00.003Z

As I've been spouting about on Facebook for a couple of days, the instructions for 'Adele' are on page 41 of this issue of the German beading magazine Perlen Poesie

In the UK it's available from The Bead Shop in Nottingham and in the US it's available from Beads by Blanche (from tomorrow I think!).

Although the mag is in German the diagrams are amazing, and as an independently produced mag there is a noticeable lack of adverts clogging up the beady bits! Fairly pricey, but very, very high quality!

OK, so I didn't make the front page.....................but there's always another time eh? Enjoy - it's worth the money! Here's Adele....................

From the horse's mouth.....................

2010-12-02T16:18:00.001Z

I have left the Bead Mavens group. Now that doesn't mean I am retiring, giving up the beads, closing my Facebook page, selling all my stock, or sailing off into the sunset!

Three months ago I wasn't a Bead Maven, then I was, and now I'm not - it's that simple, nothing sinister happened, and the Bead Maven's will still go from strength to strength without me, I'm just not a 'group' kind of person. I was the one with the school report which read 'doesn't play nicely with the other children', which is normally a prerequisite for an Artist.

So, to summarise, I am not dead, I am still beading, I am still poor and impoverished, and I am still curmudgeonly. I thank you. Peter has left the building.

Maya

2010-11-28T17:23:00.000Z

It took a while, but here she is. The story goes something like this; I wanted to make something reminiscent of the South American rainforest, and sketched some pretty good stuff. Then I tried to make it. She would have worked if I had gone down the bead embroidery route, but I needed the design to stand on it's own. I had a triangle above the bail which I spent over a week trying to get to stand up, I used thicker Fireline, I pulled the tension so tight that broken bits of beads shot out in all directions when it moved slightly, I added bits of peyote in front, I attached a bail to the back, it either flopped like a dead duck or protested by breaking bits.

It finally clicked, what I couldn't get with 'form' I could get with 'colour'. So it all got simplified and leafy. I like it in this incarnation. See what you think......................oh, and the clasp is the usual zipped loop & toggle, but leafy. This will be my last for a while, I have an shoulder to get fixed and a lot of workshops to write up.

De ja vu all over again....................

2010-11-20T17:34:00.001Z

Remember I had my right shoulder chopped to get rid of the arthritis last October? Well, on December 15th I will be getting a left shoulder to match it. Oh joy. The good bit is that our new hospital still hasn't had the operating theatre bit built yet, so I get to go to a nice private hospital with sat TV and all the accoutrements, the bad bit is that it's in Sheffield 30 miles away and it should only be day surgery.

It shouldn't stop me beading, and I already type with one finger, so as long as I don't have to shoot anyone it shouldn't be too much of a problem - I'm left handed.

The photo organisation is beginning to take shape after I backed up.................and deleted..............everything on my computer, only another 2999 to go.

Still struggling with 'Maya' - I can't understand her, the 'bond' is there, but I'm having real trouble making her look beautiful. Maybe it's because I don't like jungles.

It's about time I started putting some funnies on this blog...........................I'll see if I can find something.........

Melissa

2010-11-14T10:33:00.001Z

Well, the sun didn't come out, but I got a half decent photograph of her! Melissa is the Bee Goddess - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa and the honey tones in this describe her perfectly!
Composed of three squivolis - rounded square crystals - a lot of 3mm Swarovski round crystals, and a lot of size 15 gold plated seedbeads, she is probably the most delicate and intricate necklace I've made for a long time! I have to credit Carol Wilcox Wells with the original design for bezelling the squivolis, which were published as earrings in Bead & Button magazine a while ago, but I take the credit for adapting and naming them!

'Karen' - Ice Queen

2010-10-26T11:20:00.000+01:00

So, here she is. The name Karen signifies Purity, and I think it portrays this necklace perfectly! I'll put photographs on and leave her to speak for herself......................

.................leaving only the grin.

2010-10-25T17:07:00.001+01:00

Ever get those periods where everything seems surreal and disjointed? I'm having one. I have finished 'Karen', my Ice Queen necklace, and I think she is beautiful. I also know I won't need to look for packaging to mail her in when she sells, this is because she won't sell. My designs are very eclectic in the wardrobe department, most of them will not 'go with anything', unless you're planning to take the limo to the Oscars...............or you are an artist who loves sparkly adornment, in which case you will have probably already made one for yourself!
This is what is commonly known as a 'crisis of confidence', all artists get it at some time, I know of excellent beadwork designers who will not look at other beader's work because they will start to believe their own stuff is inferior and stop designing. The ideal place to be is in a niche where there are very few other artists - less competition, but also less mass appeal! 'Tis a quandary.
I will post pictures of 'Karen' when I get the Swarovski crystals to behave and stop pretending they're different colours when they are, in fact, just crystal.

This is priceless!!

2010-10-11T09:34:00.002+01:00

I've had some spam e mails in my time, but this one is the best ever!! I had to share!

Hello ,

I come across your profile online and i read you are good doing
bread.I just want to have the hide of making bread so that i can add
that to my business.you can even be my bakery manager that only if you
can travel here in united state of America.

Am Mr Johnson by Name ,Am into are financial agent , it are friend
that introduce me to such are business which i know it are cool
business as well .

I don't want any ex to know much about it that why i will appreciate
if you can work as the owner of the company as well.i will like you to
let me the requirement for you to be the owner of the company.i don't
want you to be worried about how you going to be here in state, am
going to take care of every thing that if you are ready to work for
me in state.Thanks

Best Regards
Johnson.P