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Sculptural beaded jewelry has atendency to grow to magnificentproportions, overwhelming itspetite wearers. This bracelet

offers beaders the chance to add plentyof surface embellishment while keepingfinished size in mind. Its up to theindividual beader to decide how wideto make the band and how elaborate to

make the sculptural elements. The piece

can be subtle when stitched in soft,monochromatic colors or vivid whenworked in bright hues.

stepbysteppreparing the baseTo determine how long to make the

peyote band, subtract the length of yourclasp from the finished length of thebracelet. The fit needs to be comfortablearound your wrist, but not floppy.

Pick up eight, ten, or twelve beadson a comfortable length of Nymo. Workin even-count peyote (see Basics, p.180) until you reach the desired length.

Attach the clasp to each end of theband. To attach a single- or multistrandclasp, make small bead loops throughthe clasp loops (photo a). Reinforce theloops by going through them several

times. (To make a button-and-loop

Sculptural

cuffEmbellish a peyote band with a gardenof herringbone flowersby Bonnie ODonnell-Painter

Bead&B u tt o n J u ne 2 0 0 4 93

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clasp, see Stephanie Eddys article on

p. 126.) If you have less than 2 ft. (.6m)of thread left, secure it in the beadwork,trim the tails, and start a new piece.

Weave through the base and exitfrom one of the edge beads at eitherend. Pick up three 150 seed beads and go

under the thread between the first andsecond edge beads (photo b). Pick upthree more 150s and go under the thread

between the second and third beads.Repeat, covering both long edges withbead ruffles.

embellishmentMake herringbone flowers in varyingsizes and color combinations and spacethem randomly across the base. Fill inthe areas between flowers with strands

of assorted beads.

To make the smallest flower, weavethrough the base and exit any beadexcept an edge bead. You can start atthe center of the band or at either end.Pick up two 150s and go through aneighboring bead in the same row(figure 1, a-b).

Pick up two 150s, skip a row, and go

through the next bead (b-c).Pick up two 150s and go through the

neighboring bead, as in step 1 (c-d).Pick up two 150s and complete the

circle by going through the bead at the

starting point (d-e).Go through the first 150 strung in

step 1. Pick up two 150s, and go throughthe next 150 (figure 2, a-b).

Pick up one 150 in an accent colorand go through the next 150 (b-c).

Continue around the row, addingtwo spine beads and one accent beaduntil you reach the starting point.

Work three or four rows, addingone more accent bead between spinebeads with each new row(figure 3).When you finish a flower, work backthrough the 150s to the base beads.String an accent bead and secure it inthe flowers center. Then weave throughthe base beads and exit where you wantto place the next flower.

To make larger flowers, increase the

number of spines, as shown in figure 4.Once youve stitched flowers across

the band, string 150s, crystals, pearls,and other small accent beads and stitchthem into place around the flowers(photo c). The embellishment can be asdense as you like. Check the reverse sideof the base from time to time to make

sure no thread shows on the back. w

Contact Bonnie via email at

cubuffnut@aol.com.

94 beadandbutton.com

a

bc

de

a

b

c

figure 1

figure 2

figure 3

figure 4

materials

10g Japanese cylinder beads

6g 150 seed beads, main color

3g 150 seed beads, each of 3 or more

accent colors

assorted crystals, pearls, gemstones, and

seed beads single- or multistrand clasp or button

Nymo D

beading needles, #12

a

b

c

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