Debbie Johnson Ceramics

I had a recent interview with square stitch pattern designer Barb Barber. She has used some of my beads in her seed bead bracelets and necklaces and I wanted to share her work with you.

Barb loves working with seed beads. All of her designs include them as well as cabochons and ceramic beads. The larger beads are unique, which makes her own pieces unique. She likes the fact that when customers purchase her work, they are getting something that no one else will have.

Her work is colorful, playful, and often very personal to the customer. She has seasonal, casual, and elegant designs. Sometimes she creates a special design for a person who might want something different or meaningful to them. “If I can imagine it, I will find a way to make it. And every time I make something new it seems to lead to another new design.” While stitching a pattern, she often sees new ideas in the piece, like a star or flower shape will reveal itself. Those images often come out in the next pattern.

Shopping for beads is one big source of inspiration. She is also inspired by the world around her. Square stitch beading with 11/0 seed beads allows her to create detailed designs that one doesn’t find anywhere in other forms of jewelry, especially items sold in stores. So when she is inspired by something like a butterfly or a rose she can design a bracelet with that imagery.

Barb said, “I can’t wait to get up in the morning to design and bead.” She is retired so she has free time to sit, design, and create as much as she likes. She is very disciplined with her time, though. She gets her housekeeping and errands done first, then she can let the creative juices flow. Even with so much time, it never feels like enough to complete all of the projects in her head. She loves to keep her mind and hands busy.

In her years before retirement, Barb was a computer programmer for the insurance industry. At the time, to relax after work she would do crafting and sewing. Her sewing projects were diverse and skilled. During that time, when her children got married, she made their wedding gowns. That is when she started beading. When she retired she found a few beads from the sewing projects and she began to make simple jewelry. It took several years before she discovered the different stitches you can do with seed beads. She was hooked. Using her computer skills she started creating patterns.

She found it difficult to find square stitch patterns, so making her own was the natural thing to do. The first ones were very basic, but then people started asking for certain colors, high school emblems, et cetera. It just snowballed from there.

“I love to square stitch and I love designing patterns for it. It is relaxing and fun. I believe other bead artists will enjoy this craft and I wanted to share my designs,” says Barb. She recently published her first book of 25 square stitch patterns. In this book, she has included the basics of how to square stitch and a pattern and instructions for a homemade beading tray that she created.

To order Barb’s Beautiful Square Stitch Beading Patterns book, click here.

Barb and her daughter, Wendy, have an Etsy Shop where they sell Barb’s original jewelry pieces as well as individual digital download patterns. Many of her items feature my limited-edition beads. She also has a shop section just for bridal jewelry! To visit their shop visit: https://www.etsy.com/shop/georgiebeaddesigns