How to Stop Your Peyote Beadwork Twisting

by on in Beading Tips
When you’re new to peyote stitch, mastering the first few rows can be the hardest part. Often beginner beaders find the work will want to twist round, which then causes tension issues, distorts patterns/designs and can cause confusion when you’re working in circular peyote stitch.
Don’t let these difficulties get the better of you – practice makes perfect and happily I have a few top tips here to help you on your way and stop you being driven round the bend with your beadwork!

Chloe’s Top Tips for Getting Started with Peyote

  • Practicing with larger beads before moving on to tiny Delicas or seed beads is a great way to cement the technique. Plastic beads such as kids’ Hama beads or similar are perfect as they are the same shape as Delicas and sit really smoothly, making it easy to see when you go wrong.
  • Tension is everything with peyote, and getting this right will solve a lot of your problems. Keep a firm tension as you go, pulling snugly after every stitch.
  • Be sure to stretch your thread before you start, waxing it can also help with tension
  • Use a stop bead, this will help with the tension and prevent the beads in rows 1 & 2 sliding around as much.
  • If you’re following a pattern or bead chart, work slowly and check the bead chart as you go, to ensure you’re passing into the correct colour bead.
  • If you’re making something like a tape measure or needlecase, then placing the work around the object can also help stop the beads from switching around. If you’re making a bezel then finding a bead tube or pen of a similar size will help you too!

Beaded Tape Measures

My tape measure designs are ideal for intermediate beaders – or adventurous beginners with a little experience with peyote stitch. If you have one of my beaded tape measure patterns and are newer to beading, then these additional troubleshooting tips can help if you’re struggling with getting started with the peyote band. Make sure you also follow the tips above too!
  •  After you have threaded on rows 1 & 2, pass through ALL the beads again, then the first 2 beads as per the instructions
  • Then place the circle of beads on the tape measure to start row 3 – this will help
  • Some people find that small pieces of double-sided tape along the sides of the tape measure can help hold the peyote in place while you get started – this isn’t something I have tried though. Let me know if you try this and it works for you!
If you are still struggling with a tape measure, then I recommend building up your confidence in peyote with a flat project first, something simpler like a beaded pen or smaller charm.

Using a cast-on or starting strip

Many beaders I know firmly believe that this is a fail-safe method! This method is particularly popular for beaders working with geometric designs which require complicated starting rows such as RikRaks. The idea is that you bead a strip of peyote long enough to work for the majority of projects you make, and bead enough rows for it to be sturdy. You can use any beads you like, it’s a good way to use up scrap beads.
You work in all your threads. Then, when you’re ready to start a new project you use a scrap of thread and start beading off the last row. This will be a temporary row. Then working with a fresh new thread, carry on with your beading. When you’re done, you can pull out the scrap thread and you will have a neat piece of work! The bonus is this method means you will have a nice neat tension from the very beginning too!
If you’re thinking that this method doesn’t solve your problem of getting started, then you will be happy to know you can also buy ready-made ‘Quick Start Peyote Cards’ from many bead stores.
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