My name is Julia Izerskaya; as to my occupation, I'm an engineer and an artist, and a gardener, and an amateur photographer, and an entrepreneur. I live and work in a Belorussian beautiful small town Glubokoe in the Vitebsk region.
Soutache. How my passion for this technique began
I remember exactly that moment. On the website which was not associated with needlework, I saw soutache works. Just pictures, there were neither a name of the jewelry nor the name of the technique specified. Just the photos. My heart stopped beating and my breathing stopped! I just could not believe that this can be done by hand. I've looked at the works for very long, but I did not figured out how and from what these splendors has been done.
But I remember my clear desire - I want to create such jewelry, here it is - it all my life. It took another half a year, and again I came across a photo of such a necklace, but this time it was written that it was soutache embroidery. And I "deepened" in the spaces of the Internet to find out, what it is - a strange and incomprehensible - soutache?
To my delight it turned out that soutache is a sort of tape that I had - once, long ago, I bought it in a hurry by mistake confusing with a hat band. There was nowhere to learn, then I didn't know about the existence of any workshops. But I had soutache, Chinese beads, photos of soutache works and a burning desire to do something as beautiful as I saw!
It was before the Christmas day, four years ago. I had a day-off, and I immediately sat down to "reinvent the wheel." My engineering education has prompted me a lot of technical solutions, and I've been crafting since literally three years, so I created the first jewelry pretty easily. And then I realized that my dream would come true.
I still wonder the patience of my husband because I've immersed myself in work for a long time. I forgot about cooking, cleaning and other household duties. Since then almost every day I pick up a needle and soutache and plunge into the magic world. About the same time I learned how many great craftworks is being done out of beads and soutache, and I love to read stories of other artists about their creative world.
Fashion Colorworks contest
Of course, I began hanging out on the beadworkers' forums and in social networks, more and more bead masters began to appear among my friends. I learned from them that special jewelry and bead contests are being organized. Spellbound, I looked at the works of the Fashion Colorworks winners and it seemed to me that they were created by not usual girls and women, not humans from our rough world, but by magical fairies.
As well I wanted to do something as perfect! But, alas, I had only Chinese beads and plastic beads, I needed money on good materials. And then a businessman woke up in me - I put up my works for sale at the local forum. The first week was, as they say, "dull". I breathlessly had come to the site ten times a day, but - nothing! Nobody wanted to buy my jewelry. And then - suddenly - I've sold out all my work within two days and I was commissioned for some more! That's when I approached another step towards my dream.
Probably, one year passed until I collected enough money for Japanese seed beads. And all that I have earned for the year by my "soutache business", was spent on 11 bags of TOHO beads. I haven't found a place where I could buy Czech beads, so I immediately switched from Chinese beads to Japanese ones. The difference in quality and colors was simply stunning!
At first, I was just admiring the beads - well, I could not afford to work with such a "jewel"! Finally, taking their courage, I started working and realized my long-held ideas about Golden Disc Necklace (I love geometric shapes, and most of my works feature diamonds, squares and circles).
Perhaps after that I began a new round in my creativity. Though I grooved Chinese beads the quality of my beadwork with Japanese ones has increased dramatically. I began to buy more and more high-quality materials, and I slowly approached my dreams. In the end, earnings from my craftwork overgrew earnings from my main work, and the dream come true. Since then, I have not worked a single day outside my home.
This year I wanted to try my hand at the Fashion Colorworks. Not to say that my first commitment to participate was hard, it was just a desire to try. Besides, I was going to develop the technique of making soutache contours, and the color combinations offered in the contest perfectly suited my ideas. So, the butterfly-shaped Inspiration Necklace was born. I will not talk about all the difficulties during my work, but the photos of my entry I sent in the last hours.
Making the contest final
This is a very mixed feelings. On the one hand, I was confident of victory, I picked up materials for the selected color triad extremely successfully and I'm very strict to the solution of technical issues, so the necklace is done accurately. I show my all finished jewelry to my top aides and critics - to parents. They give good advice and say - good, but you can do better. I sometimes get angry, argue with them, and then sit down and do better.
Some works are altered many times. Inspiration Necklace "was approved" by my parents, so why cannot it win? But then, when I saw fragments of the beadworks of the other contestants, my confidence melted away like snow in the sun. So, the final was a big surprise for me and the incredible joy to my entire family. Did I want win? Yes, very, very, very much!
The win
And then the day of the announcement of the winners came. I skimmed the website page with the winning works, I do not know why, but I did not notice my entry on it at first. I did not get upset and wasn't surprised. I was glad that most of the items I liked were among the winners! And then... Then I saw my work! I was thrown into a fever and my heart jumped in the heel, and I still react so as I remember about the win!
Acknowledgements
First of all, I really want to thank Zoya Gutina for so many years bringing joy to many creative people. For a wonderful bead contest and My Lovely Beads online newsletter, for her magnificent beadworks that inspire, for her kindness and ease of communication. Of course, many thanks to the Fashion Colorworks judges. It was very hard work - to objectively evaluate so many beautiful works. Thank you! Special thanks - to Annette Valius. I love her creativity, responsiveness and friendliness. I want to thank my parents and my brother, it's only because of their moral and technical support I've done my contest work.
That's my story. And I wish to all creative people: believe in yourself, improve your skills and don't be afraid to dream!
My gallery on MyLovelyBeads.com
About author:
| Julia Izerskaya, Glubokoe, Vitebsk region, Belorussia | |
| Email: | hottey189@yandex.ru |
| Blog: | hottey-189.livejournal.com |
