The desire to learn beading had been in the back of her mind since childhood. However, the opportunity to do so had not presented itself until later in her career when tragedy struck. Her adoptive Mother developed a severe form of Alzheimer's. Several close friends gave her lessons to help deter depression as the Alzheimer's dragged on for seventeen years. The love for beading was instantaneous, and she wanted to learn everything she could about it.

Pat's mother was a seamstress and taught her everything she knew about fabrics. Pat says  "When I look at beautiful fabric, I see beads and jewelry design." Inspirations for many of her designs are drawn from the colors, shapes, and textures of gorgeous, colored, patterned fabrics and beads. Architectural design magazines, amazing design books, YouTube, and online classes and local classes were a must for her.

Pat joined the Bead Society of NM, a 501(c)(3), while she was still working and served as president and is currently Vice President Emeritus. She also enjoys working with charitable organizations and the Bead Society. Pat's specialties are jewelry design, stranding, using mixed media, and bead weaving- which was her first love. 

Pat is a juried member of the Visionary Arts and Crafts Guild of New Mexico where her designs using precious gemstones, stones, metals, wire and beads from around the world are sold at the Rio Rancho Chamber of Commerce spring and fall shows twice a year. Her designs span from traditional to contemporary pieces. She also designs for holiday and private shows with clients in the USA, Germany, Canada and Australia. She has won first place and best in show ribbons for jewelry design, color mixes and metal work at the New Mexico State Fair from 2017 through 2025.

Pat's ideas are inspired by visions she sees in her sleep; therefore, she keeps a pen
and pad on her night stand. Her creative workspace is her kitchen table, which faces three bay windows looking out onto a patio and a fountain that draws an assortment of songbirds. Her color choices are strongly influenced by nature. She creates pieces that can be worn comfortably with jeans, a suit, dress, or evening attire and the pieces must travel with ease and style.

She uses a sundry of tools: a multilayered, multipurpose wire wrapper, split ring plyers, two bent nose plyers-one in each hand, multiple sizes of round nose plyers, very sharp wire cutters, scissors, thread burners, marvelous big-eye needles and most importantly LED lamps and good quality magnifiers. Macular Degeneration has forced adaptations that allow her creativity to continue and she can still do some small bead work with the help of the LED lights and excellent magnifiers. 

Pat creates with fabulous music playing in the background from Andrea
Botticelli, Josh Grogan, Operettas such “Don’t Cry for me Argentina”, “Phantom
of the Opera”, with Sarah Brightman, George Strait and the famous country
Western singers. Most music that has been produced in the last 50 years.
Certainly, the Beatles, Bee Gees, ABBA, including all of Rock-in-roll. Oh, and let’s
not forget PBS Mystery Movies, especially the British Cranial variety such as
“Midsummer Murders” and “Nature” specials-they are the best!

Pat gives credit to the amazing bead store owners who forever support the bead community and individuals like her with unending questions and orders and the many artisans she has met along the way with their specialties and talents.

Pat began studying beading techniques later in life and continued with passion and persistence no matter how difficult the circumstances. Pat's journey inspires us all to continue to educate and polish our skills while we pursue our creative dreams. Her journey began with the fascination of one bead. How will your journey begin?  

You can reach Pat via email at patverrelle@comcast.net.