“I caught ‘bead fever’ while repairing beautiful beaded dresses from the 1920s—once I started the repair work, I had to familiarize myself with vintage beads and, of course, vintage beadwork. Like many beadworkers, I’m easily inspired by the art and craft of bygone eras and by far-away cultures and I love to use the internet to track down beautiful beads, old and new. While surfing the web one day, I saw a photograph of a flapper-era belt, fell in love with it, and realized that I could make a similar belt using today’s materials (it was a light-bulb-over-the-head moment). A few months, a few hanks of size 10° seed beads, and a few looms later (the Ojibwa loom is my fave), I had made the hip belt, along with a cuff bracelet and earrings to match. I wear this set, titled Speakeasy, with both modern and vintage clothing. See more of my work at www.gaslightoriginalbeadwork.com."