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Creative Beading With Peyote Stitch Patterns
Our fascination with creating a fabric by stitching or weaving tiny beads together is not new. The Egyptians created burial garments using peyote stitch patterns over 4000 years ago! The technique got its name from the Native American's who created beaded items for ceremonial events. Over the years the techniques have changed although the name has stayed the same.
Our fascination with creating a fabric by stitching or weaving tiny beads together is not new. The Egyptians created burial garments using peyote stitch patterns over 4000 years ago! The technique got its name from the Native American’s who created beaded items for ceremonial events. Over the years the techniques have changed although the name has stayed the same.
Because of the beading, peyote stitch patterns are most often used to create jewelry and items like small handbags, gloves, scarves and sweaters. Another item created by the peyote stitch are wonder beads or super beads, which are larger beads used in jewelry created out of several smaller peyote stitch patterns.
Peyote stitch patterns are the most popular amongst contemporary beadworkers. The technique is simple but can be confusiing for beginners, especially when it comes to following the pattern. The work progresses in an zigzag manner with each alternate bead belonging to a different row of the pattern. If you count your rows on the diagonal it will help you find your place on the graph.
The peyote stitch pattern is emphasized in many different craft books. “Bead & Button Magazine” published the craft book, “The Best of Bead & Button Magazine: Peyote Stitch Beading Projects” which highlights the peyote stitch pattern and includes 18 different jewelry patterns for lariats, necklaces and pins. The book provides detailed instructions on various stitches and also has several variations of the wonder beads, or “beaded beads” as the book refers to them.
Almost all of the projects in “Beaded Pictures: Charts and Instructions for Beadweaving” are done using the peyote stitch and have been submitted by regular crafters. The book not only offers detailed patterns, it also shows readers how to create their own peyote stitch patterns and create something unique. It has many different type of patterns, including animals, floral, geometric, season and people.
Beads can be incorporated into other craft techniques. You can knit with beads, add them to a crocheted piece or incorporate them into your cross stitch designs. You can also combine mulitple bead stitches in one project, but it would be advisable to gain confidence in following the peyote style of stitch patterns first.
The peyote stitch is a creative combination of both older African traditions and Native American traditions with current crafting trends to create an original and unique stitch. The versatility peyote stitch patterns provide make the peyote sti tch an excellent choice for variety and interest in many different craft projects including jewelry, accessories, apparel and even small framed pieces used when decorating.