Owner Of New Bead Studio Shares Her Craft With Others
Ava Lasater works at a comfortable table strewn with beads. Nearby, her parakeets, Nipper and Cheeky, scramble about - up a small tree, then back down onto the table where Lasater calmly strings a creation.
“Beadwork takes you away from your problems,” she said. “It’s meditative.”
Lasater is making life more serene for lots of North Side residents by offering classes at her new shop, Ava Lasater’s Bead Studio, at 608 W. Garland. The shop, in the former Britz Beads location, is celebrating its one-month anniversary this week.
Lasater sells stones, feathers and varied beads, but her primary mission is to teach.
“I have enough supplies to teach people to make heirloom jewelry pieces,” she said. But unlike some pieces she’s made - which have taken up to 40 hours to complete - Lasater designs her beginners classes to be three to four hours long. The students start and finish a project at one sitting.
“They start on something simple so they don’t get bored or frustrated,” she said.
The classes cost $15, plus $10 for supplies. When the students are finished, they’ve got a piece worth $35 or so. Kids are a particular favorite for Lasater; she likes it when students get to know each other.
“Information feeds on information; students learn from each other,” she said. “They may come in tired and grumpy, and when they leave, they’re excited and happy, and it’s wonderful.”
For ideas on what to make, look around. In the display window are Lasater’s one-of-a-kind creations, including a necklace featuring rare imperial jasper from Central Mexico. It’s $750.
Or look through Lasater’s two self-published books. “All Bead Embroidery, Vol. 1” sells for $25 and “Constructing a Bead Embellished Perfume Bottle Necklace” is $10. That book includes three bottles to get started.
Lasater, who also does metal work repair and bead repair, moved from Seattle two years ago with her husband Scott, a truck driver for Devine’s. She started teaching classes at area bead shops, including Britz Beads. When Britz closed - choosing to focus on wholesale instead of retail - Lasater moved in.
“It’s going great,” she said. “I knew it was a nice location because I had taught here.
Lasater got into beading and jewelry making a dozen years ago when she hurt her back. That ended her 15-year career as a home health aide. She beaded earrings for Christmas presents.
“I found out I had a natural eye for color and people would pay money for it,” she said.
When she received a compliment on a rhodochrosite necklace, she laughed readily.
“That’s how come I learned to make it,” she explained. “Because I couldn’t afford to buy it.”
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