Wildly Peyote by Guest Blogger Jayashree Paramesh

From Jennifer: Even if you don't recognize her face, you'll surely recognize her gorgeous peyote stitch and crystal bracelets on the cover of this month's Beadwork magazine — today's guest blogger is Jayashree Paramesh!

Jayashree's beaded jewelry designs are rich, lush, and full of the texture and color of the traditional jewelry of India. She is a master of using peyote stitch to achieve subtle dimension in her pieces, and her use of color invokes images of faraway lands.

Today, Jayashree shares her story of how she got learned how to do peyote stitch. For an extra bonus, head over to the Beading Instructions blog to find an easy, free peyote stitch project from her!

Why do I love peyote stitch so much? I have often pondered that question myself, and the answer is that peyote stitch is a very precise bead-weaving stitch. An extra bead or a dropped bead can be very easy for me to spot in my work — I made a lot of mistakes like this when I was new to beading, and peyote stitch was the only beading stitch I could work without having to start over or undo the rows!

My very first beaded jewelry project was a pink crystal necklace with a triangular, bezeled, crystal pendant on the cover of Beadwork magazine. I was so attracted to the design, it made me want to jump headlong into beading! Armed with the magazine, I went to my local bead store and asked a very nice lady to help me with the supplies. She was quite amused as she picked out all the items, including needles and thread, with great speed. She asked me if I had beaded before and I replied "No!" I told her I had learned bead embroidery several years ago and was ready to try beaded jewelry. She replied, "If you have problems, I can help you — I am Daeng Weaver, and I designed that necklace!" Just a few days later, I finished the peyote bezel without much problem. (But the embellished herringbone rope was a whole other story.)

That began my love of peyote stitch. Peyote stitch is such a  versatile stitch. It offers a variety of design possibilities, from making an easy, flat strip, to making round peyote stitch medallions, rigid tubes, to constructing dimensional, complex, geometric pieces. It is never far away from my thoughts as I visualize a design. When I start assembling my beads, peyote stitch is always the first stitch that I consider for executing my design. I love to use a combination of the wonderful peyote stitch variations like flat, tubular, and circular to successfully finish my project.

Sometimes I wonder if my beading is related to my style of cooking! I use a variety of spices in my cooking; a pinch of turmeric, a dash of saffron, a scoop of hot chili peppers and a few other items from the spice box. Similarly, I have noticed that my beaded jewelry generally incorporates a mix of stitches with a healthy dose of peyote. Often the result is a richly textured, dimensional piece that I love!

Are you ready to learn more about peyote stitch and all of its amazing uses for your beaded jewelry designs? Check out Melinda Barta's exquisite book, Mastering Peyote Stitch: 15 Inspiring Projects. Along with beading projects from Melinda, as well as some of our favorite bead artists like Sherry Serafini, Jean Campbell, and Jean Power, you'll find tips, techniques, and everything you need to get you started learning how to do peyote stitch.

Get your copy of Mastering Peyote Stitch: 15 Inspiring Projects, or if you just can't wait, you can download Mastering Peyote Stitch as an eBook and be reading and beading in just minutes! It's all the same great content as the print edition, but easy to download onto your favorite desktop or laptop computer.

So, what's in your peyote stitch "cookbook"? Do you have a favorite variation that you return to when you're starting a new piece of beaded jewelry? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog and share your thoughts, tips, and advice for using peyote stitch with us!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Bio: Jayashree Paramesh was introduced to the world of beads through a bead embroidery class she took while a student at Parsons School of Design in New York City. She is inspired by fine jewelry and loves to use gold or silver alongside crystals and gemstones in her designs. She posts her designs in the Beading Daily Reader Photo Gallery 'jayparam'. For her teaching schedule and information about new designs, visit her website, Nchantme.com.