Description
Free Beading Patterns
This free beading pattern gives you instructions for making a freeform bracelet that is fastened with a leather clasp. Freeform peyote is something that, as the name suggests, really has no definite rules or structure.
My series of free beading patterns are all designed to give you the chance to learn different techniques and this is no exception. You will be given a loose structure with which to start your own experiments in freeform Peyote.
This free beading pattern also gives you a quick guide to selecting colours. You will get the chance to use a basic leatherwork technique when making the clasp. If you prefer not to use leatherwork, you can add a clasp of your choice instead.
About the Design
I created this design following my first ever leatherwork experience: a workshop with Melissa Cable. I discovered that leather can be combined with seed beads in all sorts of different ways. For me, this project was all about finding a way to use a small leather accent on a largely seed bead design.
I know a lot of beaders are not keen on freeform work. They feel lost without the structure that a more rigid pattern provides. However, I find it can be extremely relaxing to just sit in front of a selection of piles of different beads and then join them together in no particular order. You have no need to worry about the technique or checking if you’re missing a bead or forgetting your ‘step up’. Just go with the flow as nothing is incorrect in freeform work.
Getting Started
There is no reason why you can’t start with a freeform project. However, there is some truth in the old adage that ‘rules were made to be broken’.
It might be worth familiarising yourself with the basic rules of Peyote stitch. So how to work a flat sample, how to increase and decrease and how to work in one-drop and two-drop peyote. Once you know how the rules work, you will be able to manipulate them to your advantage to create something with no apparent structure. I also have free beading patterns to introduce you to the basics of Peyote. You can find them by following the links above. Most of all, just get creative and have some fun!
