Free Tip Friday: Making Freeform Peyote Stitch Beads

Updated to add the finished necklace I competed on the FTF on 1.4.19

I used Spicy Mustard Popcorn Padres, Dark Brown Bone Barrels, Nutmeg Reg C-Lon, and Spirits button. I also added Part 2 of the project broadcast from earlier today. Scroll to the bottom of the post to check out both episodes.

On this edition of Free Tip Friday I am sharing my all time FAVE seed bead stitch... Freeform Peyote.  Such an easy stitch as "freeform" is the operative word here. Practically goof-proof! I will post the video as soon as I fininsh the live broadcast.

You’ll need some of our New England Wood Beads. They come in three sizes. I am doing one of each. Make your own mix if you want. Anything goes, really... 

RECIPE:

To emulate my bead mix, you’ll need 2 colors of 8/0’s; 3 colors of 11/0’s with one of them being a metal seed bead; a strand of little shadows; a bag of heishi; a strand of faceted hematite rondells; and a strand of 4mm firepolish. 

My Color Palette:

I choose kind of a retro color palette in the following colors:

8/0: 8-1233, 8-64111/0: 11-1233, DB0907 or DB0022L, 11/0 Gilding MatteBrass Little ShadowsBrass Tiera HeishiGolden Faceted Hematite Rondelle, or Bronzed Faceted Hematite Rondelle, or Coppered Faceted Hematite Rondelle.4mm Polycrome Copper Rose 
Type the names in the search bar on beadshop.com for fast finding.

Toss in a spool of KO (I used Dark Gray); Size 10 beading needles and Old School Thread Clippers. And a Bigger Than Little Storage container to keep it together. 

Bead School Now Open

Those tiny little beads, known as seed beads, have been planted firmly into the Beadshop curriculum. To help beaders learn new bead weaving techniques, we’ve created a special place on Beadshop’s Web site just for them: Seed Bead School. 

Seed Bead School Inna Kit

Registration is not required to start learning at this school. Plus, you can work at your own pace and create your own homework and assignments. Begin by getting all the tools and supplies you need with the Seed Bead School Inna Kit. If you are new to working with seed beads, this kit is a fast and economical way to make sure you have all you need to get started weaving with seed beads. It includes a package of beading needles, which are thinner than regular sewing needles, as well as Clear Blue KO Thread, made of fine nylon, and beeswax, used to condition the thread so that it makes it easier to weave through the beads.  To also help you create an area to bead, this kit has a metal triangle tray to scoop and store your beads and a bead mat to work over. Additionally, the kit has a selection of seed beads in black, white, and a contrasting blue. This color trio will help you learn the basics. 

Chloe ~ Project and Sample by Emily Miller

Once you acquire some basic supplies and tools, you can take off from there and work through many of the free projects available on the Seed Bead School page. An excellent beginner project is the Beaded Berry Chain, a project developed by Emily Miller, who often appears with Kate during Beadshop's weekly Facebook Live Shows. 

Early Morning Ombre ~ Project and Sample by Emily Miller

Peyote is another lesson available at Beadshop's Seed Bead School. Currently two projects, Early Morning Ombre and Golden Ombre, are available as free downloadable instructions. For a limited time, these will also both be available in kit form, but they sell out quickly, so check Beadshop's selection of kits often and catch either after they are restocked.  

High Tea ~ Project by Emily Miller and Sample by Kate Richbourg

Seed beaders who are interested in adding another new stitch to their schedule will be ready learn Spiral Rope, which has three variations so far: High Tea; Fog Over the Bay; and All in Black + White. This rope technique can be used to make necklaces, bracelets, or anklets. Just adjust the total length of the piece as needed.

More projects are in development and will be added to Seed Bead School, so check back often. 

Welcome to our new Learning Director, Linnea Lortsher...

Linnea Lortsher, Director of Learning, beadshop.com

Beading a new path with Linnea Lortsher... 

We are thrilled to have such a talented teacher and beader join our team. Linnea brings a POV that is so valuable in today's trends in beading leaning heavily towards glass, seed beads and beadweaving. 

Linnea is joining us as Learning Director and we asked her to tell us a little bit about her journey in beading.

We want to share some of what we've learned about Linnea, since she joined our team in February 2016.

Do you remember what your first beading project was? 

"My first beadweaving project was an amulet bag stitched in Peyote Stitch using Delica beads. I remember being enchanged with the different colors and finishes, and how delightfully they 'snapped' into place!"

What is your favorite technique?

"I love herringbone for the wonderfully supple versatile structure it makes. Projects that combine stitches are a favorite of mine and I am always excited to learn new techniques."

What jewelry artists do you admire the most and why?

My personal taste in jewelry is pretty subdued, but I love designers who go for fun and funky. Beki Haley's pendants are so lush, and I adore Laura McCabe's playful but punk-rock work with spikes, glass eyes and other unusual objects. I also love what Isabella lam is doing with SuperDuos and of course, I'm smitten with Miguel Ases and his incredible work with brick stitch... and Oh! I also love the work of Penny Dixon and Kay Bonitz."

Samples of Linnea's Superduo pattern work

In mid-March, we are rolling out Linnea's first project with us at beadshop.com. It will be a 4-wide Superduo bracelet woven with Miyuki 8/0 seed beads. Leading up to a project, Linnea works with Janice to develop the best approach. We have specific criteria when deciding on the parameters of a project:

1. Inspire our readers and be approachable to beaders of all levels.
2. Be aware of cost of ingredients and how we want to keep it affordable.
3. Be special and add value that our readers expect from us....don't just do the ordinary!

Linnea will work with our in-house photography and web team, Grace Noland and Karen Marshall, taking the photographs and creating the step-by-step instructions that go into our handouts. The process is fun but can be very technical, so it does take time. Our excitement over Linnea's POV and expertise is palpable. We hare hearing from so many of our customers how excited they are to move with us into beadweaving. So, welcome Linnea and let's get going!