Jean Campbell is a
contributing editor to Beading Daily

I’ve had a colorful past, but at middle age, my vices are few. I don’t smoke and have a drink only on occasion. I don’t eat gluten and avoid dairy. I’ll have some chocolate every once in a while, but otherwise I don’t even eat that much sugar. All this adds up to a very healthy lifestyle, but I’ll say, that old wild woman inside wonders if she’s being deprived.  

So when I sit down to see what vices I might have left to entertain that crazy lady inside, I laugh to think that peyote might be the last one standing. It’s peyote stitch now, of course. I’ll admit, I get loads of entertainment sewing beads together with this technique and am constantly learning new facets of this stitch.

If you are a peyote-stitch lover, maybe you’re curious about discovering more techniques? How about these turnarounds?

When working odd-count peyote stitch, you can weave through beads to set up your needle to form the next row (which is a bit of pain, in my opinion), or you can do it this way:

After you string the final bead of a row, loop your thread under the exposed thread between the previous two rows at the edge of the work.

Make the step up for the next row by passing back through the last bead added. 

Peyote Stitch Turnaround: Mid-Row

When working a peyote-stitch decrease, you could just stop short in a row and start the next one, but that leaves thread showing over the top of the bead. Instead, try this:

If you aren’t a peyote-stitch lover like me, but want to find out more about it, check out Beadwork magazine Editor Melinda Barta’s brand-new DVD, Peyote Stitch: Basics and Beyond.

Melinda's a pro in this comprehensive how-to video, showing us, step-by-step, everything from flat even-count peyote stitch to tubular, circular, and increasing/decreasing techniques.

Do you have other tricks for peyote-stitch turnarounds? Let us know on Beading Daily.