Autumn Leaves Beaded Braid Necklace

From Boy Scouts and Girl Guides earning badges to beach activities in the Caribbean to school children making gifts for friends, braids are everywhere. Most of us have created braids many times during our lives, but now an Ontario designer is adding a twist and giving the craft of braiding an elegance that we never imagined in Brownies.
Mary-Anne Dalkowski is adding beads to what has often been a utilitarian activity. The Fergus, Ontario, weaver was looking for something that could offer faster gratification than the art of weaving despite her passion for it. “I’ve been weaving since 1975 and I love to play with colour and structure, but setting up a loom is time consuming and takes hours to plan,” she explains. “But, beading and braiding give instant gratification and I love it.”
Starting with simple structures, Mary-Anne has graduated to more complex braids involving many strands and, with the addition of beads, more creativity. “I try to come up with braid structures that are not found in all the pattern books,” she adds. “Adding beads leads to great texture.”
Read more in our Fall 2012 issue.

Designed by Mary-Anne Dalkowski
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