BEADING Bead weavingBeaded beads bd 2 min read

How to Make Beaded Bead Caps

How to Make Beaded Bead Caps
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(Excerpted from Beadwork, February/March 2012)

Combine peyote stitch and herringbone stitch to make your own three-dimensional five-point bead caps that nestle nicely around 20mm beads.

Techniques

  • Peyote Stitch
  • Herringbone Stitch

Materials

  • 3 g gold metallic size 11° cylinder beads
  • Gold size D nylon beading thread

Tools

  • Scissors
  • Size 12 beading needle

BODY

Work peyote and herringbone stitches to form a zigzagging piece of beadwork:

Round 1: Use 3′ of thread to string 10 beads, leaving a 2″ tail. Tie a knot to form a tight ring; pass through all 10 beads several times to reinforce. Hide the tail thread and trim. Exit away from the knot (Fig. 1, blue thread).

Round 2: String 2 beads and pass through the following bead of Round 1; repeat nine times for a total of 20 beads. Step up for the next and subsequent rounds by passing up through the first bead added in the current round (Fig. 1, red thread).

How to Make Beaded Bead Caps
Figure 1: Adding rounds 1 and 2

Round 3: String 2 beads, pass down through the next bead of Round 2 to form a herringbone stitch, then string 1 bead, and pass through the following bead of Round 2 to make a peyote stitch; repeat nine times for a total of 30 beads (Fig. 2).

How to Make Beaded Bead Caps
Figure 2: Stitching round 3

Note: Manipulate the beads so one set of herringbone stitch points up, the next points down, forming a zigzag.

Round 4: Work 1 herringbone stitch with 2 beads, then work 2 peyote stitches with 1 bead in each stitch; repeat nine times for a total of 40 beads (Fig. 3, green thread).

Round 5: Work 1 herringbone stitch with 2 beads, then work 3 peyote stitches with 1 bead in each stitch; repeat nine times for a total of 50 beads (Fig. 3, blue thread).

Round 6: Work 1 herringbone stitch with 2 beads, then work 4 peyote stitches with 1 bead in each stitch; repeat nine times for a total of 60 beads (Fig. 3, red thread).

How to Make Beaded Bead Caps
Figure 3: Adding rounds 4-6

TOP

Pinch together every other herringbone stitch from Round 6 so 5 points point up and the other five point down. String 1 bead, pass down through the next bead of Round 6, and up through the next herringbone-stitched bead of Round 6; repeat four times for a total of 5 beads (Fig. 4, blue thread; only herringbone stitches shown for clarity). Pass through the 5 beads just added to tighten; repeat to reinforce. Exit down through a herringbone-stitched bead in Round 6 (Fig. 4, red thread).

How to Make Beaded Bead Caps
Figure 4: Sewing the top points together

SIDES

Join the points:

Stitch: Work 5 peyote stitches with 1 bead in each stitch along one of the point’s sides. Exit up through the base bead of the next bottom point (Fig. 5, blue thread; herringbone-stitched beads shown in orange for clarity).

Zip: Pinch the side just stitched to the adjacent side so the peyote-stitched beads interlock. Zip the beads together to form a seamless join. Weave through beads to exit down through the nearest herringbone-stitched bead in Round 6 at the top of the beadwork (Fig. 5, red thread).

How to Make Beaded Bead Caps
Figure 5: Zipping the sides of the peyote-stitched beads to form the bottom points

Repeat this entire step four times to zip together each adjacent side. Secure the thread and trim.

Artist’s Tips

  • You may find it easier to work with size 8° cylinder beads when you make your first bead cap; the larger size makes it simple to see where to stitch.
  • It helps to keep track of your rounds by using different colors for the herringbone and peyote stitches.
  • For a challenge, make the bead caps with size 15° cylinder beads. They can be used to wrap 15mm beads.
  • The bead cap can also be used as a flower.
  • To make an interesting beaded bead, sew the points of 2 bead caps together. String it on a wire with a small bead between the points.
  • You can make a 3-point bead cap by starting with 6 beads in Round 1. A 4-point bead cap starts with 8 beads in Round 1.

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