Meet Our Teachers!
What is the art of beading without some stellar individuals to help guide the way? We know how important it is to have experienced teachers providing valuable insight and direction, which is why we are honored and thrilled to present a variety of beginner and intermediate level bead stitch classes from an impressive list of jewelry teachers. Whether you are brand new to the world of stitching or you have been practicing for years, our beading teachers will know how and where to meet you to help develop your potential. So what are you waiting for? Sign up for one of our beading classes today and get started on your path to making beautiful jewelry creations. You can start by learning a little more about our teachers and what they have done in the past.
Susan Council
Susan started beading 22 years ago. Her creative journey began with stringing and simple wire wrapping. She participated in several craft fairs at Unum, various churches, and took part in some opportunities in Florida. After developing the basics, she moved on to bead weaving, starting with the Right Angle Weave. From there she learned several other stitching techniques, went on to purchase supplies in bulk, and began to amass a large inventory of beads. After encouragement from her friends, Susan decided to put her talent and resources together and open Bead Therapy.
Classes: Moroccan splendor bracelet (Indian Summer), waving American flag bracelet, flat spiral, Viking knit.... and many more!
Annette Holbert
Originally from western North Carolina, Annette is a self-taught jewelry artist. She received her Associate degree in Nursing, but now primarily focuses on jewelry creations, making repairs, and teaching classes. Her specialties are basic beading, wire, metal, glass, seed beads, and polymer clay. You can find Annette’s work displayed at places like A Better Bead and Crafts in Brevard, NC, Cherry Tree beads in Asheville, NC, and at our Bead Therapy shop in Chattanooga. We are thrilled to have this talented designer and creator on our team and helping instruct our classes. She also makes beautiful enameled pieces in the shop that we have for sale.
Classes: wire wrap cabochon, coiled wire earrings, Wire wrap fish pendant, and beaded wire hoop earrings.
Ashley Norris
Ashley starting making jewelry in 2009 after she tired of fiber art (Pictoral piecing and embroidery) with bead weaving and then moving on to wire work. She is a vendor in the Chattanooga Market and the Cambridge Square market in Ooltewah. She works at Bead-Therapy full time now, helping friends find beads, solving problems and teaching classes.
Classes: earring findings, beading with wire work earrings, free form wire work bracelet and beaded wire wrap bracelet.
Kassie Shaw
Kassie Shaw is a bead weaving designer from Western North Carolina. Her style is down to earth and wearable but she also loves to make bold pieces with lots of contrast and pops of color. Kassie has been published over a half-dozen times since she started beading in 2004, and in 2015. F+W Media published her first book, Beadweaving Beyond the Basics, which explores some of her favorite right angle weave variations. Kassie's kits and tutorials can be found on her website www.beadingbutterfly.com.
Classes: Fae's trinket, Flutter-bye bracelet, Couplets bracelet, beaded earrings
Marian Kern
Marian’s mother sparked a passion within her for beautiful objects from a young age, since 2000 she has been creating stand out pieces for a variety of individuals. Her original creations are made out of semi-precious gems, hand-crafted lamp work beads, pearls, silver, gold, and seed beads. Marian infuses a diverse approach to beading, has had several pieces featured in galleries, is certified in Precious Metals, and has been teaching beginner and intermediate classes over the years. We can’t wait for you to experience her expertise. Find her work locally at http://intowngallery.com/.
Classes: Peyote Bezel around Cab, Dutch Spiral
Nancy Deem
I have been fascinated by beads since the wooden beads on my shoestrings in the 1st grade. Much (MUCH) later, in 2000, at a very low point in my life, I found a bead store in Atlanta that offered classes and it was full steam ahead. As soon as I learned a new stitch, I was designing with it. It wasn't long before I was asked to teach some of those designs to others. I've taught in the Atlanta area at Beadazzled and Beadjoux, Bead-Therapy in Chattanooga, and at The Beadcage in Columbus, GA.
Pat Keran
Pat has a Masters's degree in Art Education and taught Jr. High and High School art for 12 years and has been beading for 15 years mixed in with a multitude of fiber arts. She is at the shop fairly frequently and comes to Open Bead night on a regular basis. She is very accomplished in many stitches and specializes in color coordination.
Classes: beginner kumihimo, intermediate flat braid kumihimo (with beads)
Melody MacDuffee
Melody is not only an incredible bead artist, she is a nationally published author and respected humanitarian who started her creative journey with fibre crochet in Alabama. Specializing in delicate wirework, Melody offers an intricate technique that you are sure to be mesmerized by. Back in 2007, the non-profit organization Soul of Somanya was established after Melody responded to a request to go and teach her jewelry-making techniques to rural communities in Ghana, West Africa. We are thrilled to have Melody on our team and as one of our exceptional instructors here at Bead Therapy.
Classes: wire bezels, wire lace, wire earrings.... all things wire!
Meredith Brook
Meredith started beading around 2012 beginning with attending Jewel School and then attending classes through the Unum craft club with Susan Council and beading with other friends. She followed the rule of all bracelets need earrings to be proper. As she followed her beading path, she began to design her own jewelry sets and help others create their own sets through teaching classes at Bead-Therapy.
Classes taught include beginning Peyote, Herringbone, Right Angle Weave and Just Rolling along the bracelet.
Connie Clark
Connie enjoys working and teaching in metal work, polymer clay, beading and more. She serves as President on the Board of Directors for the Greater Atlanta Polymer Clay guild, and is a member of the Atlanta Bead Society and her favorite thing is combining these different medium to create unique art. To view more of her work check her out on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/connie.clark.1000 and look through her photo albums.
Phillip Stansell
Phillip Stansell is a local self taught wire artist who started making wire wrap pendants in 2017 and has made some real stunning pieces with natural stones, copper and silver. Many of his pieces have been purchased and sold in California. We are happy to have Phillip teaching at our shop and feel that his work is only getting better!!
Judy Anderson-
Judy grew up learning crochet from her grandmother at age 4 and she's finished college with an Art Major and Accountin Minor. She lived with the accounting and enjoyed all the fiber arts, beading and other crafts. She's taught paper bead making at John C. Campbell on several occasions and at the HGA Convergence. She's taught weaving, spinning, dyeing and a multitude of textile crafts and skills.
Judy grew up learning crochet from her grandmother at age 4 and she's finished college with an Art Major and Accountin Minor. She lived with the accounting and enjoyed all the fiber arts, beading and other crafts. She's taught paper bead making at John C. Campbell on several occasions and at the HGA Convergence. She's taught weaving, spinning, dyeing and a multitude of textile crafts and skills.