Freeform Peyote Choose Your Own Adventure Reveal

Today is a very special and exciting Saturday! 
 A little over a month ago,  Mandi and I issued the challenge that like-minded bead weavers join us in exploring the medium of Freeform Peyote.   By it's very nature, freeform peyote is an abstract art form - no set pattern, no hard and fast rules.  Instead; an open-ended canvas for creativity.  Thirty six amazing women took us up on the challenge.

Today, it all comes together in the first Freeform Peyote Choose Your Own Adventure Challenge and Blog Hop.  While I expect to see many amazing pieces, this challenge focuses as much on process as on completed projects and we've asked everyone to share their stories as well.  Visiting the participants' blogs in preparation for today, I've been thrilled to see so many of you sharing just that, while holding back the final reveal for today.

I can't wait to see everyone's work and read their 'travel journals'!  I invite you to join me in exploring what they tried, what worked and what didn't, as each designer acts as a tour guide and forward explorer into the wilds of their creativity.  

My projects  I really debated what to do for my own entry, but I wanted to keep it simple and keep it process oriented. I decided to work on a bracelet, and explicitly share the process here in on my blog in two earlier blog posts on First Steps and The Ugly Duckling Stage.  Here now, I'll share the finished piece.  May I present, Winter Blues (as in Chase them Away):

A look at the full length of the completed bracelet

Visually, the bracelet above and below has come a long ways from its ugly duckling stage.  However, in terms of working time, I completed more than two thirds of the stitching in my first two posts.  Between my previous post and here, I simply had to fill in the awkward gaps and keep moving colors until my beadwoven band roughly equaled the width of my stone focal.  

I added a small amount of top work, using over bridges very sparingly in the bracelet as I was already quite pleased with the color movement and shapes.  I added the mother of pearl button last thing.  It's larger than many of the buttons I use - large enough that it definitely acts as an alternate focal as well as the clasp.

So that's my take on the challenge.  

Adventurer Roster  Now it's time to go visit the other intrepid adventurers (updated Feb 27, 2013):
 

Mandi Ainsworth - Adventure Guide
Karen Williams - Adventure Guide

Bobbie Rafferty
Sarah Meadows
Katherine Gale
Leanne Kirsch
Jean Hutter

Nancy Dale
Judy Riley
Natasha Wiegelman
Pam Chesbro
Romana Tschunko

Bette Greenfield
Mary Harding
Melody Marie Murray
Shirley Moore
Marj

Sally Russick
Therese Frank
Tanya Goodwin
Christine Altmiller
Lea Paličková
Ivona Šuchmannová

Kay Haynes
Tammy Bowman
Alisa Lehman
Lori Callahan
Tami Norris

Jane Kettley
SaraBeth Cullinan
Julie Schmidt Bowen
Tammi Clapper

Additional Dispatches:
 Cynthia Machata
Debbie Rasmussen
Betty James
Deborah Humphrey

Trying Your Hand at Freeform Peyote.   If you've considered trying your hand at freeform peyote and would like to ease into the medium,  hop on over to the Freeform Peyote Group on Facebook for a great support network and links to a number of great freeform peyote resources.

And if you'd like a bracelet similar to Winter Blues, I am putting together two bead kits that will be available on my Etsy store sometime this weekend (I'm running a little behind).

The kits will contain all of the beads that I used in my bracelet above (right now I only have enough of everything for two complete kits) as well as the most detailed photo notes I've ever taken regarding my process, including lots more photos than fit in the three blog posts. 

Freeform Peyote Bracelet - the Ugly Duckling Stage

This is Part Two of my freeform peyote bracelet tutorial.   Part One focused on getting started.  Today we're looking at the Ugly Duckling state; that mid point between starting out and completion when nothing quite seems to work and it all looks sort of spindly and awkward.   Every freeform peyote bracelet I've ever worked on, in fact almost every single freeform peyote project, goes through an Ugly Duckling stage.  For some this stage lasts longer than others.

The underside of my stone cabochon

Support for the Central Stone
In the photo above, we're just a little further than we were at the end of Part One.  I'm continuing to work along the full length.  At this point, rather than running my needle through the central stone bead, I run it through an under bridge of seed beads a couple of times to give it more support.

The under bridge helps provide support and stability for my central stone bead, without completely obscuring the bottom face of the stone.

After a couple of passes through the single line of beads, I peyote stitched along two thirds of it.  This will give me easy anchors for later work.

This is also the point where I need to decide which side faces forward.  I decided that the side with more cream would be the underside. 





Building a Half Bezel
Next, I focused on the side bridge (it's under my thumb in the photo above left).  Using peyote stitch I built up a bezel that cups around the edge of the stone.  This will help to hold the stone steady while leaving as much of the stone visible as possible, both from the top and bottom.  This is entirely and aesthetic choice on my part.

 

The half bezel itself looks pretty good, but its connection to the rest of the bracelet is awkward at best.  Something I will have to work on before the bracelet is complete.

Note that I've also started adding a new section of size 6 beads along the lower right edge and am continuing to peyote stitch around the button loop to give it a more substantial look.  

Continuing to Build - One Section at a Time
From here on out I'll be working sections at a time, rather than consistently working along the full length. 

Along the lower right edge, I've built up the section of size 6s.

Above, I'm using bridgework to tie the bracelet band into the half bezel.

And to the far left, I've built up the area where the button will go using basic peyote stitch and size 11 seed beads.  Since the button will cover any stitching in this section, there's nothing fancy here, though I did make a color change.  I also peyote stitch around the end to soften that edge, starting after about the fifth row.  The shape kind of reminds me of a tongue depressor  - not a terribly appealing thought.

Trying the Button Placement

When I 'try' the button on for size and suddenly it doesn't look so bad.  In fact, it really needs to be a little wider to full support the width of the button visually. 

The bracelet is about halfway done at this point.  It is still in it's Ugly Duckling stage, but is almost ready to molt into it's swan plummage.  Next steps will include continuing to build the width, working a section at a time.

I also want to focus on integrating the bracelet band into the half bezel cupping my central stone and continuing to move colors through the piece so it doesn't look splotchy.  Ideally, I'd like each color to show up in at least three different areas to give the piece a sense of repetition and balance.

Once I've reached the full width, then it will be time to look at the possiblity of over bridges, which can be used to tie color sections together and to add more textural interest.  One of the last things I will do is add the button.

Want to see it complete?  Check back on Saturday - I'll be revealing the finished piece as part of the Choose Your Own Adventure Freeform Peyote Challenge.  Not as fancy as some of the pieces you'll see on Saturday, but it's all about process. 

Freeform Peyote Bracelet - First Steps

Playing with bead selection for a new bracelet.

 I am thrilled and amazed by the enthusiasm expressed in the still-new Freeform Peyote Facebook Group.  A number of you are new to the medium and I've loved seeing your first projects!  And I'm thrilled with how many of you have joined the Choose Your Own Adventure Challenge.

I'd originally planned to put together a series of posts on the basics of freeform peyote, but as often happens, life got in the way.  Talking with my husband this morning, I wished that I'd managed to start earlier, as now that we were halfway through the challenge it's seemed a little late.  He disagreed, saying that it's never too late.  So I'm writing this post because he said I should.

Starting a new project:

Step 1:  Choose your beads and color scheme.  Above, I used the large stone bead in blue and cream with veins of sienna to help guide my color selection.  Not all of the beads shown above will make it into the final piece, but I like having options.  My plan here is to make a bracelet.

The Starting Row:

Starting out, I measured about a teaspoon each of a number of my seed beads onto my beading mat and added a few of my smaller accent beads.  I then strung my initial row of beads, adding a loop that fits my button just a little bit loosely at the end.

The working length here is just over eight inches.  Note that I didn't try to use all of my bead types in this first pass.  There will be time to add more later.

Stitching Back along the Length

Coming off the loop, I began stitching back along the length, simply matching the bead types and colors in each section.  I stitched through the larger accent beads, and through my focal stone bead (isn't it pretty in this picture?)

Finishing this Row

Here's the bracelet as I finished this first row of peyote stitch.  Again, I simply matched bead types and colors, and stitched through the larger beads.

Turning around

A quick view of the turn around.  In the last pass, I added beads along the top edge, now I'll add them along the bottom, working in a circular fashion around my center line.  Working both edges; first one, then the other helps keep the piece balanced and my focal bead centered.

The Next Couple of Rows

Next, I start moving colors just the slightest bit, like the size 11 seed beads just starting to encroach on the size 6s on the left hand side of my bracelet.  Note that I used two size 11s to span the space of one size 6 to keep everything laying smoothly.

I also added bridges working around the smaller accent beads.  And I peyote stitched around the bead loop.  The right hand side of the bracelet has six rows of peyote stitch in the photo above.  Then I ran out of beading thread, so I wove both thread ends into the body of my work (removing the stop bead from my starting end) and took the picture.

Between the previous picture and the one above, I focused most of my attention on the left hand side of the bracelet.

     Continuing to build my initial blocks color, I dragged one color into the next over several rows.  This is my preferred method of changing colors as I think it gives a more natural, organic flow to the piece, but that's totally an aesthetic choice.  If you like hard edges between color blocks, go for it.  (That style often reminds me of Gee's Bend quilts).

    Middle left, I introduced a new block of cream as a shorter bridge around an accent bead, then used it as part of the longer bridge around the top edge of my focal, changing to antique bronze a third of the way.  I also turned the inner right bridge into a twist, anchoring the twist in place by stitching along the new edge. 

     And in the lower left I added a bridge of blue matte seed beads and one of the dyed shell accent beads. 

    At this point, the initial color blocks are well established, and it's simply time to continue building along both the top and bottom edge.


My plan is to continue this show and tell next week, with additional pictures of how this bracelet develops.  I'd love to hear what you think - was this useful?