bio

Wildfire Designs originated in 1993 as Knit Knaks, primarily selling custom sweaters. Gradually increasing my stock, I continued knitting one of a kind small garments, hats, gloves and scarves. A turning point came when I was asked to knit prototype scarves and sample swatches for Ralph Lauren. I further increased this type of production by knitting protypes for Old Navy when it was first established. Most recently I have added Hallmark (Kansas City based) to my list. I completed several small items such as hats and mitten sets that were shown on several holiday oriented cards during the 1998 and 1999 holiday seasons.

1999 was also another turning point as I encorporated glass beadmaking into my schedule. This obsession has grown rapidly and is now the base of my production. I continue with my fiber interests, but for the most part concentrate on lampworking. (Making glass beads.) Selling from online auctions and the internet continue to fascinate me as my customer base has spread beyond my expections. I am currently teaching borosilicate bead making at several cities throughout the country, as well as participating in several national bead shows which include Kathy and Lewis Wilson's Best Bead Shows (Boston, Hawaii and Tucson) the Bead and Button Show (Milwaukee) and Lapidary Journal's Beadfest (Philadelphia.) I have contributed to Lapidary Journal and my beads have been shown in American Style Magazine, Glass Art Magazine, Glass Patterns Quarterly and the International Society of Glass Beadmakers Juried Obsession Catalog. Most recently, my beads were featured in the Lapidary Journals Bead Annual, October 2004.