Beading.Beadwork.Beads

Odd-Count Flat Peyote

Continuing with my favorite stitch, let's practice odd-count peyote. This post assumes you know how to do even-count flat peyote. If you don't, please visit this page. There are at least a couple of methods you can use in odd-count flat peyote.

Method 1

1. Start with a comfortable length of thread. Wax or condition your thread as needed. Thread your needle.

2. To keep the beads from falling off the end of the thread as you begin peyote, add a stopper bead.

3. To begin odd-count flat peyote, string an odd number of beads (how about 11?) onto the threaded needle, and push the beads down to the stopper bead. Be careful not to lose your tail; the stopper bead will move if you push it! Start odd-count flat peyote stitch just as you do even-count flat peyote, that is, you pick up a bead (bead number 12 in this case), skip the next bead (bead number 11), and go into the next bead (bead number 10), as in the photo below.

 

4. Continue across the row, which is row 3. When you reach the end, you'll find you don't have a bead with which to complete the last peyote stitch. Go through the last bead at the end of the row. This is a row 1 bead (going through this bead like this is also called "stepping down").

 

5. Pick up a new bead and go back through the same row 1 bead in the same direction, as in the photo below.

 

6. Go back through the bead you just added, as in the photo below. This completes row 3, and now you're ready to start row 4.

 

Remember, this turn completes the row you just finished. It does not start the next row.  

Method 2

1. Start your peyote the same way as in Method 1 above. When you get to the end of row 3, add the final row-three bead and take your needle under the thread between the stopper bead and the first bead in row 1. See the photo below.

 

2. This is a bit tricky, but it works, so don't give up! Go back through the bead you just added (see the photos below--I changed the color of thread in the second photo so you can see it better). I find it helpful (as always) to keep tension on the tail thread. 

   

3. You'll have to do this at the end of every odd-numbered row. Here's how it looks at the end of row 5.

   

So which method to use? Method 1, I think, is simpler, but the disadvantage is the first two columns of beads are a bit wonky, as in the photo below (sorry, it's not a very good photo). You can see the last column of beads is not sitting evenly with the third column of beads. This is because the path the thread is taking through the beads at the end of odd-numbered rows is different than the thread path going through all the rest of the beads--that last stitch at the the of the odd-numbered rows is actually a square stitch, not a peyote stitch. So no wonder it looks differently!

 

This doesn't happen with method 2, but the edge of your beadwork where you're making the slip knots (the ends of odd-numbered rows), is not very tidy, as shown in the left-hand photo below. The photo on the right is of the other side of the beadwork, for comparison.

   

So you decide which you want to use. I'm often asked why I would stitch odd-count flat peyote rather than even-count. Here's why: First, if you're covering an object with flat peyote, you don't get to choose. The dimensions of what you're covering dictate the number of beads you'll use, and therefore whether you're using even- or odd-count peyote (this is true for tubular peyote too). Second, if you're making a pattern in which the center line is a column of beads, you'll have to use odd-count peyote.

 

A pattern that appeared in February/March 2007 issue of Beadwork magazine made clever use of a slight variation of the second method. The designer, Jennifer VanBenschoten used the slip-knot method to make the top edge of her Back to Byzantium curve to better form a necklace.

Give odd-count flat peyote a try. It will broaden your design capabilities.

Recent Finished Objects, June 2010

Occasionally, I like to show what I've actually managed to finish. Here's the latest thing I started and finished:

My DH asked me to make this for him to take to a retirement party at work. Sadly, I won't even get a bite of this! Next to beads and yarn, food it my second favorite thing to do (beads and yarn are tied for first).We'll see how this looks after it's out of the oven--hopefully it will by photo worthy.

My latest beaded finished object can be seen to the right.

It is a bead embroidery pendant. The focal is a Greek ceramic disc from Mykonos Beads, which are available at Bead Obsessions. The rest of the beads are from Bead Obsessions and out of my stash: Toho size 15 rounds, size 8 rounds, and Aikos; Miyuki size 3 bugles and Delicas; Czech size 11 rounds; and various other beads I've picked up from gods know where.

I created the bezel with a base row of back stitching, then built from that with peyote stitch. The rest of the embroidery includes more back stitching, stop stitches, bucle stitches, satin stitches, and just sewing on embellishment beads. The edging is done in brick stitch with Czech 11 rounds, and then embellished with Toho 15 rounds. The strap is made from some of the beads used in the embroidery, including the bugles.

Details on bead embroidery are definitely a topic of future posts!

You can see other photos of this piece here.

Isn't bead embroidery cool? My work is very much influenced and inspired by Sherry Serafini.

This is my purse from the handbag purse class with Sherry:

 

This is a pendant I stitched using one of Sherry's kits:

   

This is a detail photo of the class sample I stitched for the bead embroidery class I teach at Bead Obsessions:

 

OK, so how did that pie turn out?

Good enough to eat!

Using a Stopper Bead

Sometimes, with some stitches, your beads can easily fall off the end of your thread before you have a chance to use them. Annoying!

To prevent this, start with a stopper bead.

1. On your threaded needle, add a bead that does not look anything like the beads you're using in your project. In the photos below, I'm using a dark purple bead as a stopper in a project using white beads. 

 

2. Go through the stopper bead again, in the same direction. For example, the needle and thread in the photo above are going through the bead from bottom to top; therefore, go through the bead again from bottom to top, as in the photo below.

 

3. Notice the thread travels across the outside of the stopper bead.

 

4. See a stopper bead in action in the photo below!

 

You'll notice the stopper bead still slides around. This makes it easy to take off when you're finished with it, but it also means that if you push against it hard enough, your beads will still fall off the thread. Just be careful not to lose your stopper bead and/or your tail thread.

If you need a stopper bead that stay in place (doesn't slide), then stitch through it twice. This means you'll have to pick these loops out with a needle later, but that's not hard to do if you use a larger bead as your stopper.

Even-Count Flat Peyote

Let's get started with my favorite stitch: peyote. This post is the first in a long series to come about peyote stitch.

1. Start with a comfortable length of thread. Wax or condition your thread as needed. Thread your needle.

2. To keep the beads from falling off the end of the thread as you begin peyote, add a stopper bead.

3. To begin even-count flat peyote, string an even number of beads (say 10, as in the photo) onto the threaded needle, and push the beads down to the stopper bead. Be careful not to lose your tail; the stopper bead will move if you push it!

4. Pick up another bead and stitch back through the bead second from the end (that's bead number nine in the original 10 strung on in the photo below).

 

5. The bead you just added should sit on top of the bead below it (see the two beads at the right end in the photo below). Pick up another bead, skip the next bead, and go into the next bead.

 

6. Repeat across the row, picking up a bead, skipping one bead, and going into the next bead. When you reach the end of the row, work back the opposite direction (see photo below). Work to desired length.

 

7. To count rows in peyote, choose any two columns of beads and count the number of beads in these two columns. That number equals the number of rows you have stitched. After stringing on the original number of beads (in this case 10) and stitching one row of peyote, you have three rows of peyote.

 

8. In the photo below, two columns of beads are selected in the red box. There are 11 beads in these two columns, so that means I have stitched 11 rows of peyote.

   

9. As with all stitching (except maybe freeform techniques), you want to cull your beads as your using them. Those two beads on the needle in the photo below are Bad Beads!

 

Here are some examples of things you can do with peyote stitch: