I was in one of my favorite craft supply stores looking for crochet patterns when I saw a book on Soutache Jewelry. I never really got into jewelry making, although I did have tools and a lot of beads from years before.
When I looked through the book, something took hold. I said to myself "No, not another craft. I have a room full of fabric, yard, patterns, and needlecraft supplies. I don't need to become a fanatic about another craft." Fine, okay. But it was too late. I started having visions, seeing my jewelry in shop windows. Patterns and colors flooded my imagination.
I spent a few days in Santa Fe, New Mexico and imagined 'my work' in a shop window. So I surrendered. I came home and ordered a kit from an Etsy shop in Hungary. It took me so long to make that first piece, I thought it would never work. But I kept at it and became more and more proficient at the techniques and at using the materials.
Got selected for my first juried show only 5 months after I made my first piece. Now it's soutache all the way! I'm hooked on soutache!
My decades of study of cultures, ancient and modern, my travel in exotic lands and my interest in art history plays into my designs and color combinations. I get inspiration at museums, art shows and nature.