ABC's of Creativity - P is Peyote Stitch

Peyote stitch, also know as mosiac or gourd stitch, is a very structural stitch. The beads are generally worked one bead at a time in a very tight formation. They line up like bricks or tiles.

Here is a great tutorial video by Leslie Rogalski. Leslie shows you in step by step with detailed drawings and beads how to do even-count flat peyote.

Here is geometric patterned flat peyote stitched bracelet designed by Marilyn Gardiner.

Southwest Charm Bracelet, beaded by J. Woolverton

Also on Marilyn site a wonderful free tutorial for a beginner's flat peyote stitch bracelet.

Once you have master basic flat peyote you can take a small strip of flat peyote and zip the ends together to make a tube. For instructions check out Pamela Kearn's pattern in the Jun/July 2013 issue of Beadwork for this wonderful use of peyote tube, Boho Bangle.

Circular peyote let you create shape beyond just a strip of beadwork. Triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons and more can be created based on the number and placement of increases. Two great resources for learning how to do these shapes are Diane Fitzgerald's Shaped Beadwork and Jean Power's Geometric Beadwork.

If you take some of the shapes and stitch them together you can make 3D objects. Diane's Moorish Tile Beads combines squares and triangles.

Moorish Tile beads, beaded by Toronto beading students during class (2011)

Jean's Geometric stars uses squares that are distorted by increasing on every round.

Geometric stars, beaded by J. Woolverton

So we have looked at basic flat peyote, peyote tubes, circular peyote and peyote shapes stitched together. Next is tubular peyote stitch. This is different than our peyote tube as it is worked in rounds. Here is tutorial video by Melissa Shippee.

Melissa is showing a very thin tube. You can also use tubular peyote to bezel a crystal or cabochon. The tube would need to be large enough to go around the crystal or stone. Using smaller beads will pull the tube tighter and hold the crystal in the tube.

delicas and size 15 seed beads are used to bezel this crystal, beaded by J. Woolverton

This project was finished with some peyote stitched petals.

Zinniz Flower, designed by Jean Power, beaded by J. Woolverton

If you work tubular peyote off of a peyote stitched shape you can make a vessel or box. Julia Pretl's Little bead boxes is the resource for learning how to do this kind of project.

Here is my very first little box. I have since made at least one of every box in book.

beaded by J. Woolverton

Another resource is Melinda Barta's Mastering Peyote Stitch.

Here are the leaves that I stitched and used to work with this beautiful owl for a blog hop.

beaded by J. Woolverton

I hope that you will try peyote stitch in one of its many forms.

Happy Beading!