I live in Moscow and work as a marketing specialist, I am also studying at the Moscow branch of the British School of Art and Design. Seven years ago when I worked as a textile designer I discovered beads, and my first experience in beadwork was associated with bead embroidery. For the next five years I've learned different beading techniques: peyote stitch, square stitch, cross stitch, and so on, developing my skills. My first projects were mostly free-form necklaces, but I loved embroidery and returned to that technique designing bead embroidered handbags.

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My first serious bead project was Jeans handbag, the base of which were my old jeans. I decorated the handbag by beaded canvas in square stitch technique. The general idea of this bag was simple geometric pattern with courageous color mix. My next bags were results of my experiments with varieties of different stitches: netting, peyote, cross, square, cord, that I could apply on one handbag. It was a period when I realized the importance of using quality beads, and matte and glossy beads combination. I am a great believer, that each piece of beadwork should be personalized, and I started working on my every next piece as I did that for the first time, I always tried to use sophisticated materials and beading techniques and perhaps to invent a new one.

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My later beaded handbags are made in bead embroidery technique. The Peacock bag is a result of my interest to Art Nouveau epoch. Working on that I used limited color palette, and at the same time I extended the number of sorts of beads, I used more than 20: matte and glossy, glass and plastic, seed beads and cylindrical beads, besides, I used buttons and cabochons. For the first time I implemented the principle of "dark" and "light" sides, when two handbag sides are embroidered in common design and technique but in different color combination. I am sure that is a great idea when you can change a face of your bag depending on your mood.

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I called my latest beaded handbag Butterfly, it is also made in embroidery technique, but in a quite new way of my bead design. First time I applied the principle: idea is the first - make is the second. The handbag is designed around a butterfly, that is one of my favorite creatures since my childhood. Once reading a book on butterflies, I discovered that a butterfly's wing is a set of microscopical particles, that look like beads! And I decided to make a beaded handbag with "butterfly wing" picture of my lovely CALIGO EURILOCHUS, trying to reproduce the wavy pattern of the wings accurately, using sophisticated irregular embroidery technique.

I plan to design one more "butterfly" handbag using brighter color combination, then I want to create another collection of handbags, reflecting the beauty of spring. Probably, some day I will try to design beaded jewelry again. I am passionate about any crafts, about beadwork and bead embroidery and I hope and believe that comes across in my work.

Bead embroidered handbags gallery

Butterfly Handbag slideshow

Process pictures. Butterfly Handbag

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