Marion Hernandez

Our fascination with creating a fabric by stitching or weaving tiny beads together is not new. The Egyptians created burial garments using an early form of peyote stitch patterns over 4000 years ago! In more recent times the technique got its name from the Native Americans who created beaded items for ceremonial events. Over the years the techniques have changed although the name has stayed the same.

Nowadays beaded jewellery, such as necklaces, earrings and bracelets are often made by following peyote stitch patterns. The beader is not limited to flat pieces of work, it is possible to create three dimensional items by working around an object, such as a cardboard roll or bottle, known a as "form". A variation called tubular peyote stitch is used for these projects.

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 beads used in a peyote stitch pattern are glass seed beads which are available in several different sizes. To add contrast to a necklace you can have fun creating "beaded beads" which involve using a larger wooden bead as a base and stitching the seed beads around it in tubular fashion.

It isn't always necessary to follow peyote stitch patterns, you can just start stitching and change colours as and when you desire. Successful designs can always be diagramed by hand or on a computer program such as Easy Bead from Fulford Software when you are finished. If you are artisic you could design your own patterns before starting to stitch, perhaps including simple animals or flowers in your creations.

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 peyote stitch patterns first.
 
Let peyote stitch patterns open up a new world of creativity for you as you weave tradition into your modern day life.