Rafannette Dooley by Sigrid Wynne-Evans     © February 2007   If a cowboy or Southwestern theme is what you are looking for, then perhaps Rafannette is your (cow) girl!! She has a great variety of patterns for the cowgirl or cowgirl at heart. But she doesn't stop there! She also has angles, fairies and even a classic painting rendered for beads. Be sure to see the patterns she has!. Sampling of Rafannette's Designs: Click on an image to view the pattern information.

Rafannette was born and raised in Waco, Texas, and now lives in town of Franklin, Texas. Franklin is a small town about 30 miles north of Texas A&M. She lives with her husband Randy, daughter Dallas 11 years old, and son Kavan 6 years old.

Rafannette's family has a small farm with garden and animals. Rafannette and her husband have serious back injuries do to all the past years in the hay and watermelon fields so the main part of their income now comes from Rafannette's beadwork.

Rafannette's interest in beadwork began 17 years ago when she saw a small board with earrings hanging on a wall behind the counter of a feed store. She began talking with the lady at the counter and she told Rafannette that she made them. They were a basic brick stitch type with fringe. It was the fringe that caught Rafannette's attention. One evening, Rafannette was invited over to the lady's house and learned how to make the earrings. Neither of the two knew the name of the stitch or was aware of other types of beadwork at the time.

Sampling of Rafannette's Designs:
Click on an image to view the pattern information.
 
       

Rafannette does not have any major influences, but says that she has a strong sense of what she would like to see. She began designing out of a need to create something that she has not been able to find elsewhere. She especially likes Western and Southwestern themes.

The pieces that Rafannette is most proud of are the custom requests she fulfills. She finds it truly rewarding when someone gives her an idea, and she is able to create something that satisfies both her and her customer.

People started asking Rafannette if she sold her patterns. She never actually thought of selling patterns, but she contacted Rita, and soon, she began to sell her patterns on Bead-Patterns.com.

Sampling of Rafannette's Designs:
Click on an image to view the pattern information.
 
           

Rafannette says:
"Each time I design it is a challenge. To make what I "see" in my head match what is coming out on paper then in beads. My biggest disappointment is when I first started, I didn't know about threads and crimps and I used crimps with Nymo and it worked for a while then a necklace I had made came right off my neck and beads scattered everywhere on the ground and in the grass and dirt and Yep, you better believe it I was down there searching for those dropped beads!! Luckily this is when I was only making things for myself. I would have been devastated that had happened to one of my clients."

Rafannette's favorite piece is the first large loomed split type necklace she ever designed or made was a zebra. It ended up going to a woman who did volunteer work in Africa and loved zebras.

Rafannette works at a fairly large computer desk with shelves of her beads in her kitchen. She uses Crayola Crayons, Map Pencils, Paper - plain and graph and a beading program called Bead Creator Pro. The computer program is only a partial tool- even with that, a lot of tweaking is needed on most pieces.

Sampling of Rafannette's Designs:
Click on an image to view the pattern information.
 
       

Rafannette hopes to have a shop open to the public for teaching. To try to achieve that dream, she is taking a percentage of her sales and dedicating it to a savings for supplies and locating potential buildings/shops.

Regarding challenges and accomplishments, Rafannette says:
"My biggest challenge is on a daily basis and that is to try and not to be so critical of my own work. My biggest accomplishment is to be able to share what I know with others and then have them to be proud of what they can do with that new knowledge."

Rafannette's final words of wisdom for all beaders:
"Don't get discouraged that you cannot do a particular project you wanted to do because you don't have the "proper" or "required" supplies. IMPROVISE! Use what you have, even if it means using macaroni noodles instead of tube beads!

NEVER say "Oh that is Just Too Hard" or "Looks Too Hard". I just can't understand that. If you truly want to learn let nothing hold you back-Nothing! And to please remember my motto - Learn One, Do One, Teach One - Keep Beading Alive!"