Peyote is arguably the most versatile of all of beading stitches.  It is easy and fast to do. But more than that, the stitch can be used to build 3D structures to be used as jewelry components. The humble seed bead, when used in multitudes, and in skilled hands can indeed astound with their elegance and detail.


I recently received Nancy Cain's Bead Stitching Shaped Peyote class for review.

This Craftsy class covers the basic flat peyote and goes on to demonstrate how 3D designs can be created using shaping techniques. The key shapes she teaches are the geometric ones - rounds, squares and triangles.

Nancy is an excellent teacher who is particularly strong in troubleshooting. She clearly identifies the problem areas beaders might encounter and offers solutions.  Her 2.6 hr class is chock-a-block full of these invaluable tips.

One really crucial point about this class is the instructor demonstrates with larger beads than the 11/0 and 15/0 sized seed beads that you will actually be using. It's so you can see the stitching lessons clearly.

Lesson 1
Nancy introduces the basics including what sort of threads and beads to use. She covers the use of both Fireline and Nymo type threads. There are sound reasons why you use one over the other depending on the circumstance.  She shares many useful tips such as how to hold and handle threads. These help ensure you can better control tension, avoid knots and so on.


Lesson 2
While tension is important, Nancy points out how the stitching direction can affect the rigidity of the piece.  This next lesson is about creating channel beads from stitched rounds and how to "stitch in the ditch". She identifies which row is the most critical to get the foundation right.  



Lesson 3
This is a progression from the channel bead lesson where crystals and beaded picots are added as an embellishment. The left completed sample below is the actual size.  The right one is demo model using larger beads.


Lesson 4
This lesson moves on to building  3D squares using Delicas (cylinder beads).  Here the challenge is tension and also beading in the right direction so the square retains its shape.  The instructor clearly explains how to make those corner turns so it makes sense.


She also has a great way of removing unwanted beads using just a fine awl.

Lesson 5
This lesson is on how to turn the shaped peyote pieces into a bracelet! I particularly liked how she explained the way to size the bracelet to fit individual wrist sizes.


Lesson 6
The class increases in difficulty with the making of triangular shapes.  Again, the key instructions she gives makes those turns possible.  And a great tip on how to reverse beading direction properly. ( The earrings are shown in the first picture above.

Lesson 7
This lesson on variations, colors and design possibilities shows how creative this designer is!  A fun lesson after all the hard work beading up the shapes and grouping them into 3D components.  One example of how to use the channel beads is shown in the detail of her own beautiful necklace below :


Her lessons cover the 3 basic geometric shapes but she also explains how you can make heart ones.

 Lesson 8
This bonus section covers the basic flat even count peyote stitch. Useful to watch if you need a refresher on this stitch. I also liked the way she  holds the thread in her non-dominant hand to ensure tension control. She demonstrates her method very well.

Conclusion
You may think you know peyote and bead weaving in general.  But there is much to learn when you can attend a masterclass on the peyote stitch such as this one. Nancy Cain explains clearly and simply and understands just where the pitfalls are and shows you how to overcome them. There are so many tips and tricks you can learn from a seasoned bead weaver. I certainly did.

Giveaway
If you want a chance to win a free access to Nancy Cain's Bead Stitching Shaped Peyote class (and ask her any question about resin clay),  please make a comment below. Make sure you leave contact info below if you do not have an online shop or blog.  The class is currently on sale too.

Email subscribers need to scroll down the post they receive, click on Share Comment and enter your comment. Pick Name/URL. If you don't have a store or blog, leave the URL blank.

This giveaway is international.

Extra entries if you become or are a blog subscriber or follower etc. If you also do shout outs about this giveaway, those will count as additional entries too! Please say so in the comments. (The exception is Facebook - just like/comment on the giveaway status there!!)

It ends in a week's time at 6 pm EST Monday, October 10, 2016. I will pick the winner randomly and announce the results as soon as possible after. So be sure to leave a contact email if you don't have an online link or make sure you come back and check! Otherwise I will redraw in a week. Good luck!

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Disclosure
I do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links. This goes towards the support of this blog and to provide resource information to readers. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation.

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