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Posted by Cindy Wells on August 20, 1998 at 03:58:58
Used with permission. Thanks Cindy!:
I just wanted to share with you a wonderful way to give a finished look
to peyote stitch straps for amulet purses or anything using flat peyote
stitch. I had made a peyote stitch beaded bubble bottle (one of Suzanne
Cooper's kits) and was trying to make a strap that was delicate and wouldn't
overwhelm the bottle, so I decided on a strap two beads wide. However, after
noting that the strap looked rather plain, and that I was having difficulty
keeping the tension right, I realized I needed to add something extra. Necessity
is the mother of invention, and I happened upon a technique for finishing
the edges of the strap using charlottes (other seed beads size 14 and smaller
should work as well). This is the way it works: when you're starting out,
dip into the first bead you're attaching the strap to and string one charlotte
then the Delica, next dip down into the second bead your attaching to, and
also add a charlotte then a Delica. When you come back down into the first
Delica you added, take the needle to the bottom of the first charlotte and
bring the string up through, then add a charlotte then a Delica. If the
thread catches on the charlotte facet, use your fingernail to push it behind
the charlotte. This process of going up through the last charlotte on the
side, then adding a charlotte and a Delica is repeated the whole strap.
It looks like you have a string of small beads to the each side of the strap
that almost looks independent, but yet is perfectly attached. Not only that,
but it keeps the tension perfectly. On mine I even used a stripe pattern
of green transparent, purple metallic gold luster and 24K gold charlottes,
and the result was stunning. As this is so easily adaptable to any project
I thought I'd share it.
Cindy |
