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Therapeutic
Beadwork
Ellen
Long, a Success Story
| The
ultimate compliment for putting together step-by-step
illustrated lessons was experienced in fall 2005 at the
Bead Renaissance Show in Denver. |
Ellen
with Maria at Rypan Designs, Bead Renaissance, Denver,
2005. |
|
I
was stunned when a radiant, gorgeous lady wearing ‘Peacock
Net’, her own interpretation of one of the lessons
in my Netted Mesh Collar book, came to my display table
to thank me profusely for “saving her life”.
She was so overcome with emotion, she had everyone asking…
What was she talking about? How could this be? What
did Maria have to do with it?
|
| Ellen,
a graphic arts teacher from Colorado, was shocked to find
her numbness on the left side diagnosed as MS. She was
determined to combat it. Luckily, her doctor first suggested
she take up beadstringing to help rebuild the paths in
her brain. To further challenge her, he suggested beadweaving,
which is more mathematical. |
|
We have to thank Sharon Ostrander, a mutual acquaintance,
who had my instruction books. Once an appropriate netted
project was selected, she taught Ellen how to follow the
pattern instructions. Her first piece was a 2-color Net
with an ‘X’ in royal blue and white. She kept
on beading this style in MANY sizes, types of beads and
colors to keep the therapy going. Her numbness disappeared.
Her tin full of 2-Color ‘X” necklaces and
variations speaks volumes about her determination, creativity
and color sense. |
Ellen
Long’s first “Net with an ‘X’”
|
Tin
full of Ellen’s netted variations being shared
with show attendee. |
Ellen
has since tried many other beadweaving styles. Her Peacock
Net, featured in the Student’s Gallery, is a variation
of another style in the Netted Mesh Collar#1 book. |
| Best
wishes to Ellen and everyone who has taken up beading
as a therapeutic activity. What other activity could keep
the fingers nimble, the mind sharp and still yield such
gorgeous results? |
Ellen
Long’s “Peacock Net” |
South
African Success Story
Dorothy
wrote in response to Elllen’s story:
“I
teach beading in a small rural town near Cape Town, South
Africa and have also found that beading has been therapeutic.
I
have a pupil who has MS who joined a class I ran at our local
school last year. She was very depressed and was struggling
with weakness in one arm. Her neighbour had just lost her
husband and was also feeling very low. The two of them have
been coming to beading every week for a year now and have
been transformed. The MS sufferer is making beautiful jewellery
that she sells to make a little pin money and is even coping
with wirework.
Beading
changed my life too. I'm a widow and enrolled in a course
in May 2004. I soon became a bead addict and when I was asked
to volunteer at the school last year, I decided to give teaching
a try. Since then, what started off as a hobby has become
a full blown business with regular classes given in the bead
shop that I now own and run in our town.
Best
wishes from our sunny South Africa.”
Dorothy
Wodrich
The Fat Green Frog Beading Experience
Riebeek West, South Africa
Happy
beading,
Maria
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