Techniques T

Tension Bead
Tubular Herringbone Stitch
Tubular Peyote Stitch

Tension Bead

A tension bead (or stopper bead) holds your work in place. To make one, string a bead larger than those you are working with, then pass through the bead one or more times, making sure not to split your thread. The bead will be able to slide along, but will still provide tension to work against when you're beading the first two rows.

Tubular Herringbone Stitch

Begin with a foundation row of ladder stitch. Join the ends together to form a tube. String 2 beads. Pass down through the next bead and up through the bead after it. Repeat around the tube. At the end of the round, pass through the first beads of the previous and current rounds to step up to the new round.

Tubular Peyote

String an even number of beads and make a foundation circle by passing through them two more times, exiting from the first bead strung. String 1 bead and pass through the third bead of the foundation circle. String 1 bead and pass through the fifth bead of the foundation circle. Continue adding 1 bead at a time, skipping over 1 bead of the first round, until you have added half the number of beads of the first round. Exit from the first bead of the second round. String 1 bead, pass through the second bead added in the second round, and pull thread tight. String 1 bead and pass through the third bead added in the second round. Continue around, filling in the "spaces" 1 bead at a time. Exit from the first bead added in each round.