Sisterhood of the Traveling Jean Jacket

The Bead Bin, and interested customers, is about to embark on an epic journey of bead embellishments on recycled jean jackets.  The Sisterhood of the Traveling Jean Jacket is a play on the popular book series, “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”, written by Ann Brashares. 

Stacy Weeks Schoell, owner of The Bead Bin, came up with the idea as a way to create an inexpensive way for beaders to learn new skills while creating a wearable piece of art.

The sisterhood will consist of groups of six people.  Each participant will recycle a used jean jacket from their own closet or from a second hand shop.  They will choose a color scheme and theme for their jacket.  The group(s) will then meet once a month for six months at The Bead Bin, located in Rollinsford NH, to learn a new skill to embellish a jacket with beads. At each month’s meeting the jacket will be handed off to another member of the group.  At the end of six months each jacket will have traveled to each member who has added some beaded element to the jacket. The jacket will return to The Bead Bin to be displayed before returning to the owners in March.  

The Sewing Tree, a business offering sewing instructions located in Dover NH, will be offering sewing classes at a discounted rate to participants of the Sisterhood.  If a member would like to remove a collar or cuffs, the expert instructors will teach them how. Both Janith Bergeron and Christine Ecker, owners of The Sewing Tree, are certified sewing educators.  Janith recently received a Master Certified Sewing Educator certificate.

“I am really excited about this project” stated Schoell.  “There are so many creative and talented people out there.  The jackets will be a work of art.”    Schoell will teach bead embroidery, beaded fringe, and covered beaded buttons, and other embellishing techniques, at no cost to participants.  On top of no class fees, Schoell will offer a 15% discount on supplies purchased at each meeting.  “I really wanted to create a project that would be a lot of fun and not take a large bite out of everyone’s budget.  In this tough economy, I think it is important to find activities that you can do that won’t break the bank.  Beading and making jewelry is an activity that will fit into a wide range of budgets.  It is also a great way to create inexpensive gifts.”

If you are interested in participating in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Jean Jacket, contact Stacy at The Bead Bin in Rollinsford, NH at 603-842-5533, or visit www.thebeadbin.com. For more information.