Free form peyote necklace

Caribbean Sunset??

I thought that this free form peyote necklace would be a fun one to introduce during this month when we're celebrating gemstones and pearls here at Beading Arts.  The seed bead work is the perfect frame for your gemstone beads, especially if you mix them up into a sort of "bead soup" like this example.  I had a few of these and a few of those, and somehow they all ended up working together well in this piece.  As usual, I'm lacking a name for it, but I'm thinking about Caribbean Sunset...what do you think?

Materials and Tools

Assorted seed beads, size 11/0 and 15/0
Assorted accent beads, both small and large
Nymo D beading thread
2 hammered oval links

Beading needles
Scissors
Chain nose pliers

1. Use mostly size 11/0 seed beads for the base strand.  Make a loop of seed beads around one of the hammered ovals and tie a knot.  Create your base strand of beads, a bit longer than you want the finished necklace to be, alternating seed beads with an occasional accent bead.  Place the larger accent beads near the middle of the strand.  Finish off the other end by making another loop of seed beads around the other oval link and tie a knot.

2. On your second pass, begin peyote stitch with seed beads between each accent bead. 

3. Continue free form peyote back and forth across the necklace, adding more accent beads and forming bridges with seed beads around the larger accent beads. 

4. Clean up your thread ends as you go: knot the end a few times around a nearby strand thread and work the end with your needle back and forth through some of the seed beads.  Clip the ends flush.

5. When the necklace is just about as full as you want it, add a couple of passes of size 15/0 picots to each edge of the work.  I used gold to give the piece more sparkle. 

6. Use your chain nose pliers to make one of the ovals narrower.  Use the pliers to bend the end over to form a clasp.     

Copyright 2011 Cyndi Lavin. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact.