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Theresa is a Texan through and through. She was born in Austin, grew up in San Antonio, lived in Dallas, Houston and now lives in a little town call Uhland, which is just south of Austin. She loves living in Central Texas.
Theresa's high school years were in San Antonio after which she attended Trinity University, where she earned a BA in French and a teaching certificate for high school level. She got married right out of college, and then divorced. But now, she is married to a "wonderful man" (ten years now) and has two daughters, who are 17 and eight.
Theresa worked as a Human Resources manager. Now she is self-employed, selling beads and teaching beadwork classes. As a result of a very difficult pregnancy with her youngest daughter, Theresa was confined to bed for a long time. Doctors told her that her job was detrimental to her health and that she really should think of doing something less stressful.
While Theresa was confined in bed, her husband bought stitching magazines, sci-fi books, and BEADING magazines to keep her entertained. In one of the magazines, there was an ad about selling beads. Theresa called the phone number, and four months after her daughter was born, Theresa was selling beads at her first bead bazaar. It was during this bazaar that Theresa met Suzanne Cooper. Suzanne taught Theresa how to do Tubular Peyote, right there in front of the booth Suzanne was in!
Theresa tried a bead store for a while, but it was just too much stress and strain on the health, the psyche, the budget and the family. As a result, the business went back to a home based business doing bead shows and teaching. Theresa says that she is fortunate in that her husband has a good job that he loves, so she gets to do what she loves! It's still a lot of work, but not quite as much stress.
Like so many of us, Theresa started "playing" with beads in the 70s. She still has strings of authentic love beads from a couple of concerts! When Theresa was 16, she snipped the beads off of Barbie's spangled apron so she could string them into a bracelet. Now she wonders how much that apron would be worth. Nonetheless, this was a modest beginning of the bead work Theresa would later create. She made earrings for her girlfriends in the 80s and started selling jewelry, usually right off of her neck or wrist. Then in 1997, she started selling beads and made her first pattern, which was the Brown Snakeskin Bracelet
Sampling of Theresa's Designs:
Click on an image to view the pattern information.
  
Theresa has taken classes from some local teachers, who are also beady friends. Last year Theresa was able to take a class from Nancy Eha (a very delightful, insightful beader). Being inspired by organic, textured pieces, Theresa is also inspired by Judi Wood, NanC Meinhardt, Margo Field and Cynthia Rutledge, as well as by her dear friend Gayle Goddard, who is a fabulous bead artist from Houston. Theresa says "Gayle's work is full of color combinations that most people are afraid to try. She's fearless when it comes to that".
Theresa's favorite of her own pieces is still the Sea Urchin, perhaps because it was the first thing she did that wasn't flat and didn't follow a pattern. It took her six weeks to finish, and she did it while her youngest was still sleeping most of the day. It was the only large piece she did for quite a while! Theresa says "It is one thing to see three-dimensional beadwork in a magazine or on-line, but to actually make it yourself and hold it in your hands is something amazing. I still look at this piece and think "I made that" with a bit of awe."
Theresa took one art class in high school. It was an experimental class called Modern Arts & Crafts. She learned a little about color, a lot about texture, and she learned that anything can be art. She also studied some of the French masters while in college. Everything else was learned from books and from other artists.
Theresa started designing when she were asked to be a vendor at a show sponsored by the Austin chapter of the Embroiders' Guild of America (EGA). She designed pieces and sold both the kits and the patterns and they were a hit. Theresa found Bead-Patterns.com through a friend. She submitted some patterns and Rita invited her in.
Theresa is thrilled when someone buys a pattern and then they tell her how much they've enjoyed making the piece or how much their mother/sister/friend loved the gift made from the pattern. At a recent show for the EGA, someone who had taken one of Theresa's classes submitted her project from the class and won a ribbon for it. That was a joy for both Theresa and the beader!
The biggest challenge for Theresa is coming up with fresh ideas, things that are different and fresh from what other designers are doing. Theresa says "I don't always succeed, and there are still times when I come up with what I think is great, but it doesn't even cause of tiny ripple of excitement. So, it's back to the sketch book and the racks of beads to try again."
Inspiration comes from nature, since Theresa lives on a big, open prairie. There are wildflowers in the spring, wildflowers in the summer, wildflowers in the fall. Her husband has a motorcycle and they ride when the weather is nice. Theresa takes along the digital camera, and they take a lot of photo stops! While she might take a picture of a flower or tree branch, the photo may not become a pattern, but the colors and the texture may inspire her.
Sampling of Theresa's Designs
Click on an image to view the pattern information.
   
For the most part, Theresa likes chunky, three-dimensional pieces. But if she had to choose a favorite pattern that she designed, it would be both Magic Carpet and Falling Leaves. She loves the Magic Carpet simply because of the colors -- they shimmer and change with the light, and the combination has actually turned heads. She loves Falling Leaves because it's just fun. So many beaders have said they love the shaped bottom of the pin, they love the colors, they love the texture and those are the reason she designs.
Falling Leaves
Click on an image to view the pattern information.
  
Theresa's workspace is all over the house, she has a dedicated room, where all the beads live. It's also where people come to shop occasionally. But she usually works at a small table or with a lap tray in the family room, and even then the beads are spread all over the room! Fortunately, the family is very understanding! Would you believe she even works in the car!
To create patterns, Theresa uses Beadscape. She says she is one of those people who bought a Mac just so she could use Beadscape. Then she fell in love with my Mac iBook. It is on the same desk as her PC, so she can work between the two. Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Word are also used to put the patterns, instructions and kits together.
Theresa is proud to say that she was recently accepted into her first fine arts show selling finished beadwork. By the time this interview is published, the art show will have come and gone and she will know if it that's a viable future for her. Additionally, Theresa is teaching more classes, and endeavor that she loves. Theresa is happy that beadwork is finally becoming accepted as an art form, and not just a craft.
Theresa says that her "biggest accomplishments are my beautiful girls. I have two gorgeous, intelligent, independent, talented daughters and am very proud of them. I think my biggest personal challenge was being a single mom. My older daughter and I were on our own until she was about six. My husband and I married when she was seven. It was love at first sight, and they still adore each other!"
Theresa's final words of advice are: "Never stop being inspired by the work of others, never give up on your dreams, take care of your mind and body, and everything else will follow."
Sampling of Theresa's Designs
Click on an image to view the pattern information.
    
Theresa Buchle
e-mail - Patterns - Web Site
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