Meet Jo Quaglia

Jo really isn't a bracelet - she's a real live living beader and wire worker. (She just didn't send me her picture yet.) Jo started working with seed beads and and Indian loom as a child. About 2 years ago Jo was looking for a creative medium that would help her relax and also develop a different way to approach complex problems. Taking classes that would not have appealed to her ordinarily really got her creative juices flowing. Sue Quinque taught her chain maille and Viking Knit. Thus a new creative outlet was realized. Andrea & Carlie rekindled a love of seed beads through new bead weaving techniques. And, who can resist those gorgeous bead colors anyway?? On her list of future endeavors are PMC, lampworking, and maybe a venture into freeform bead weaving (very scary for someone taught to think INSIDE the box!!) Jo also likes to quilt with bright bold colors and prints, cross stitch, travel, and read. She lives in Upper Pottsgrove with her husband, Julio, mother-in-law, Irene, now 91 years young and Julie, the family Cocker Spaniel. When Jo isn't beading - she spends her days getting cranky as a rocket scientist for a local aeronautical company. (No, really.) Her years of thinking inside the box paid off though. As an accomplished engineer - Jo was bothered by the traditional way of weaving Viking Knit and decided to do something about it. So she went to the drawing board and made some improvements to the original design set up. She currently teaches her version of Viking Knit Wire weave here at Buttercup Beads. We are honored to have her as part of our team!