The Ottawa Bead Society (OBS) is a group of beading enthusiasts who meet once a month year-round to share their passion for all types of beads and beading.
The society’s purpose is to promote the art of beads and beading designs, and to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and inspirations in a collaborative manner. OBS activities range from structured tutorial sessions to informal discussions. However, OBS objective is to enhance OBS members’ skills and further their beading knowledge.
OBS strives to create an enabling and fun environment in which the enjoyment and passion of its membership for the art of beading is the prime purpose.
We meet on the 3rd Sunday of every month, except in December when we meet on the 2nd Sunday of the month. We meet in the Tanglewood Park Community Center, located at 30 Woodfield Drive in Ottawa, Ontario.
Doors are open at 1 pm, but our meetings start at 1.30 pm. (Note: There will not be any meetings in July or August in 2017).
We gather to have fun and do the following:
- Share our knowledge and ideas
- Learn from and help each other
- Showcase our work and see what others have accomplished
- Be inspired and inspire others
- Enjoy beading time with others who share our enthusiasm for all kinds of beads and beading techniques
Our members have a multitude of interests and are a great source of inspiration. Some of their work includes:
- Lampwork beads
- All kinds of seed bead techniques
- Beading with gemstones and pearls
- Chain maille
- Jewelry making
- Bead embroidery
- Sculptural work
- Bead history
- And much more!
Meetings
Meetings are held year round. Sometimes during the summer months, we hold informal meetings that are external to the formal program. We have speakers, presentations, and group discussions about tools, books, portfolios, techniques, and much more. We schedule one or two technique days per year and we occasionally host a special guest teacher. Check out examples of past programs here.
We also encourage members to show n’ tell us about pieces/designs that they have made and we are always available to help with a stitch or a pattern during our meetings. Meetings are open to anyone interested in beading with all kinds of beads and beading techniques. We are always happy to welcome new individuals and members and we are eager to learn from each other.
General Information
Scented products can cause serious problems for some of our members, please be sensitive to others and avoid wearing perfulme or other fragrances to the meeting.
If the weather is wet or snowy, please bring some indoor shoes or slippers along! Please do not wear your boots in the meeting room so that we don’t have as much mopping to do after the meeting.
Winter storm policy. In the event of a significant storm on a meeting date and if road conditions are hazardous and there is a weather advisory, OBS meeting will be cancelled that month. If a storm ends before the scheduled time of the meeting and road conditions are adequate, the meeting will take place as scheduled. We take note that some members who live outside the Ottawa area may not be able to attend on those days. If you are unsure whether or not the meeting is taking place, check our website for alerts.
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