Membership Benefits

The BSV will help you build new friendships, develop your beading skills, and provide you with a creative outlet while you make jewellery and other art.

We offer both in person and online classes and meetings.

We hold a weekly virtual UFO (UnFinished Objects) night i on Wednesdays from 7.00pm AEST. It started during the pandemic to connect members and was so popular that it is now a fixture on our calendar of events.

Members on a zoom call holding up their work and concentrating on beading at a meeting

Our monthly face-to-face meetings are held at the Carnegie Library from 10.00am to 3.00pm every second Sunday of the month. 7 Shepparson Ave Carnegie, First floor. Lifts are available for wheelchair access.

These meetings include in-person workshops, traders selling beads and lots of chatting. Bring your own mug. Tea and coffee are supplied.

Check out our Carnegie meeting location

You can come to a BSV meeting to try it out before you join. 

 

We have many opportunities for learning at the Bead Society,

At our monthly meetings we either have paid workshops or free beadalongs.

We also hold workshops at other times with local and international tutors.

This photo of the Spark Mandala was from a workshop held in 2023 with Cindy Holsclaw via Zoom.

We aim to have an international tutor teach for us every year and these sessions are very well attended.

We also have a full workshop schedule at our annual bead retreat.

 

The Bead Society holds an annual Bead Retreat for members only. 

In the last 10 years or so we have held the retreat at Melbourne University College, which is a great central location.

This is held in the third week of January every year, from Thursday to Sunday. We stay in the student rooms, no sharing, and all have ensuites, providig a little bit of luxury.

We have several workshops on over the four days, and plenty of space for members to sit and bead if they are not in a workshop.

Traders attend so you can get your beading supplies and the best part, all food is supplied, no cooking all weekend.

Check out our Bead Retreats

The Bead Society holds the annual Melbourne Bead Expo. The Expo is open to all, not just members. There are traders, workshop and exhibitions of members work plus displays of the BSV bead challenge.

The Expo is a place for the Society’s members to show their creations to the public through competitions. There is the Members’ Original – Jewellery and Members’ Original – Non-jewellery sections. For those who like to do projects from kits, classes and patterns, there is an opportunity to display those pieces in the Inspired By section.

See past winners and competition photos

For many, the Expo is the first place they find out about the Society although we do offer non members once only invitation to join our meetings to see whether they might like to join our society

Click Here to join

The Bead Society produces a monthly newsletter full of all things beady, updates on international and national news, information regarding new products and trader and supporter news. We also like to celebrate our members with a monthly profile.

We also offer a comprehensive program of workshops, both online and in person. Members have access to world-renowned international tutors using Zoom. Our members are often the first in the world to create new release projects. More information can be found here:

Check out our events

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There are a range of benefits in being a member of the Bead Society of Victoria.

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