2013 Bead It Forward Quilt Project

The Bead & Button staff will once again be organizing the Bead-It-Forward Bead Quilt Project for 2013. This project is an international beading effort that benefits breast cancer research and was started by bead artist Jeanette Shanigan in honor of her mother who died from the disease. For a number of years, Jeanette collected tiny, 1.5” by 1.5” squares of beadwork submitted by bead artists from around the world and pieced them into mini mosaic quilts. The quilts were auctioned at the annual Bead and Button show. In 2012 alone, the bead quilts and other donations by bead artists raised $19,500 for breast cancer research at the Medical College of Wisconsin! In 2011 Jeanette relinquished her much love project to Bead & Button magazine.

And, Bead & Button is doing it again. This year’s theme is: “Flowers: Stitching to Find a Bloomin' Cure.” All you have to do to participate in this fun and worthwhile project is create one or more 1.5" x 1.5: (3.8 x 3.8 cm) beaded squares (stitched onto a 2" square) and send them to Bead & Button. The complete rules and guidelines, as well as a sample pattern can be downloaded HERE.

The deadline for submitting squares is March 1, 2013, so we have plenty of time to create squares. In fact, the January 2013 program will be dedicated to this project. In years past, we have met in the 7th floor meeting room at Bayou Manor after the the meeting for a fun afternoon of beading and I expect we will do the same this time.

HBS has been delighted to be a part of this worthy cause for several years now – won’t you join us this time? More information will follow as the time draws near, but we hope to see you there.

To see examples of bead squares created by members and friends of Houston Bead Society (including Peanut, Nancy Jones' beloved pooch), click HERE.