KAREN BETTIS

I have been sewing all my life and have done some quilting.  I started beading many years ago and made a multi-strand seed bead necklace with lots of colors.  I thought some kind of cuff would be cool to pull it all together, and since I don't work with metal, wood, or artist clay (epic fail in that department!) I thought that a "decoupaged" fabric cuff would work.  TA DA!  My fabric bead making process began and has evolved a lot over the years.  I love fabric and making beads from quilters-cotton is my preferred medium.

I started making jewelry and accessories for fun and donation to charity silent auctions.  When I learned that people actually bought my donated items AND my husband asked me how many fabric beads did I really need, I decided to jump into the craft/quilt show world under the business name, "Purple Cow Designs", which I later changed to "FabricBeadLady!".  I did my first show in 2006 and have been doing several per year since then, now most exclusively at quilt festivals.