Linda Lawrence

I’ve often said, “I am never bored as long as my hands are busy,” and that’s truly how I live.

Creativity has always been part of who I am. My mother used to say I was born with a needle in one hand and a crayon in the other. My father was an architect who brought home stacks of color chips and fabric samples for me to play with, teaching me early on to see the world through an artist’s eye—and that God lives in the details.

In the 1970s, I began making art quilts, cutting fabric into tiny pieces and sewing them back together into wall art that brought me pure joy. Many of my quilts won awards and were exhibited internationally. After 40 years behind a sewing machine, I found myself ready for something new. It was at a quilt show that I discovered kumihimo, and from that moment on, I traded my fabric for beads and my sewing machine for a new artistic adventure.

I design and handcraft jewelry, specializing in contemporary beaded kumihimo and bead weaving techniques. My goal is to create comfortably elegant pieces that today’s modern woman can wear and feel beautiful in. I love incorporating semi-precious gemstones, pearls, seed beads, and artisan glass beads, experimenting with color, texture, and rhythm.

Recently, I was introduced to Contemporary Geometric Beadwork, and it took my artistry to a whole new level. The challenge of creating geometric jewelry and vessels fascinates me—it’s intricate, meditative, and endlessly rewarding. I find the tactile and repetitive process of beading deeply soothing, and I’m always excited by the evolving possibilities it brings.