3 Bead Fest Instructors to Watch in 2022

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One of the best things about taking a beading or jewelry making class is meeting your creative heroes and asking all your questions in real time. Plus, there’s something special about working alongside your classmates and spending dedicated time in pursuit of your passion. Bead Fest 2022 classes are selling fast! Here are three Bead Fest instructors to watch, plus, tips for choosing your workshops. 

Shown above: Stone in Place Sand Cast Rings by Robyn Cornelius.

Robyn Cornelius: Goldsmithing and Metalsmithing

Jeweler Robyn Cornelius has a degree in fine arts from the Alberta College of Art and Design, majoring in jewelry and metals. She has her own custom design studio in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, called Little Rock Jewellery Studio, where she makes art jewelry and fine jewelry.  

If you haven’t snapped up your seat in one of Robyn Cornelius’s sold-out classes, there’s still room in her Wave Dangles, Stone in Place Sand Cast Rings, and Robyn’s Funky Ring Class.  

Sulie Girardi: Metal Clay

Metal clay expert Sulie Girardi was born in Chicago but has lived in Vienna, Austria, for the past thirty years. She owns and operates Vienna Impressions, which is Austria’s largest source for rubber stamps.  

Sulie says her favorite technique is metal clay, by far. Her advice to students is, “Don’t be afraid to try metal clay!” She is inspired by architecture and nature and encourages students to have fun with their projects.  

Kathy Luli: Beading Expert

Passionate beader Kathy Luli has been bead weaving for over twenty years and teaching for over a decade. Her heart and soul go into creating the pieces she designs and teaches. Kathy and her daughter have recently opened an Etsy Shop called KathLor Designs. 

Kathy’s advice for beginning beaders is to add new thread to a project rather than pulling a long piece of thread through your beadwork. Long thread is more likely to tangle and makes for bad ergonomics. She’s a fan of several new techniques that make it quick and easy to add thread. 

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Tips for Choosing Your Bead Fest Instructors + Workshops

1. Check out the instructor list. What classes are your heroes teaching?  

2. Choose a technique you’d like to add to your creative toolbox. Or consider a favorite technique that you’d like to troubleshoot or focus on during your workshop. 

3. Will you have the supplies and tools you’ll need for your class—or can you buy a kit and borrow the rest? 

4. Sometimes a project just grabs you. Go with it!  

5. Spread the love. Coordinate with a friend, buy your tickets together, and make it a girlfriends’ getaway! 

Some Bead Fest Classes are already sold out—so be sure to make your choices now! You can search by instructor or technique or check out the downloadable class catalog.  

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Thanks to our Bead Fest PA 2022 sponsor, Cool Tools.

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