Off Loom Bead Weaving with Willowsong

Willowsong necklace $1950. with drusy, quartz, amethyst, tourmaline, pearls and 24k gold overlay glass beads.

Trained in bead weaving by Native American friends, Willow as we call her, incorporates the peyote stitch with her own adaptation of free form bead weaving.  She uses glass beads in this set pictured that have been fired with metal oxides and salt (24K gold in this case).  Each batch of beads is crafted by tenured glass workers from the Czech Republic using skilled old world techniques.

Peyote stitch, also known as Gourd stitch, is an off-loom bead weaving technique. Peyote stitch may be worked with either an even or an odd number of beads per row. Both even and odd count peyote pieces can be woven as flat strips, in a flat round shape, or as a tube. Tubular peyote is used to make pouches or to decorate objects such as bottles or fan handles.

Many cultures around the world have used peyote stitch in their beadwork. Examples of peyote stitch have been found in artifacts from Ancient Egypt, and the stitch has also been used in historic and contemporary Native American beadwork. The name "peyote stitch" derives from the use of this stitch to decorate objects used in peyote ceremonies by members of the Native American Church. The name "gourd stitch" similarly derives from the use of the stitch in decorating gourd containers.
(Info from Wikipedia)

Earrings by Willowsong with green amethyst $275.