How to Do Peyote Stitch — Starting From the Very First Beads

Peyote stitch offsets each bead by half a bead to build up the fabric — it is the most basic bead-weaving technique, and most Tsubuzukan patterns are worked this way. Here we start from the very first bead.

You will need

Miyuki Delica beads (see the DB color numbers on the pattern)
Beading thread (KO, One-G, or similar)
Beading needle (size #10–#12)
Scissors and a bead mat

Cut the thread to a comfortable working length — about 1.5 m (5 ft) — not the full amount the piece needs. A longer thread tangles and frays; when you run low, just join a new thread as you go (see the end of this page).

1. Add a stopper bead

About 15 cm (6 in) from the end of the thread, string one bead in a color not used in the pattern and pass through it again to lock it. This stopper bead keeps your first beads from sliding off; you remove it at the end.

Stopper bead: about 15 cm from the thread end, pass through one bead twice to hold it

2. String the first two rows together (this is the key)

Peyote does not start one row at a time — you string the bottom two rows together. On a Tsubuzukan numbered chart, just string the bottom row (beads 1, 2, 3…) left to right. That single line of beads is actually rows 1 and 2.

String beads 1–6 left to right in a straight line; this line later separates into rows 1 and 2

Why two rows? In peyote, the odd and even beads sit half a bead apart. The straight line you string first separates into two offset rows as you work — that is what makes it peyote.

3. Row 3 onward: catch the up-beads

At the end of the strung line, turn and begin row 3.
Pick up one new bead and pass the needle through the up-bead (the one sticking toward you) of the previous row.
Pick up one, pass through the next up-bead — repeat. Each bead drops into a valley one at a time.
Work from the bottom up and the charted picture appears.

Pick up bead 7, skip bead 6, pass through bead 5; bead 6 drops half a bead and 7 sits on top of it

Repeat pick-skip-pass: beads 7-8-9 form row 3 and the strung line separates into two offset rows

On Tsubuzukan peyote charts, the numbers are the threading order. After stringing rows 1–2 left to right, row 3 goes right to left, row 4 left to right, and so on. When in doubt, just follow the numbers in order.

4. Turning at the edge: odd vs even count

If the width (beads across) is even, turning is simple: at the end of a row, pick up the next bead and stitch back the other way.

Pick up bead 10 and pass through 9 — the direction flips and row 4 works left to right, building bottom-up

If the width is odd, one edge needs a figure-8 turn every other row: catch the edge threads and pass back through to turn around. It feels awkward at first, but you soon get it. Each pattern page tells you whether the width is odd or even.

5. Finishing off

Weave the tail in a zigzag through several nearby beads.
Tie half-hitch knots around the threads between beads, two or three times in different spots.
Pass through a few more beads and trim.
Remove the stopper bead and finish that tail the same way.

Weave the tail zigzag through several nearby beads, changing direction as you go

Half-hitch: hook the needle under a thread bridge between beads and pass through the loop; repeat 2-3 times

6. Joining a new thread

When about 15 cm (6 in) of thread is left, it is time to change — join a new thread while you still have slack, rather than squeezing out the last stitches.

Leave the old tail hanging for now (you finish it later).
Weave a new thread (about 1.5 m) in a zigzag through several beads just before your working spot. A half-hitch along the way makes it extra secure.
Bring the new thread out of the same bead the old thread exits, and simply keep stitching.
At a convenient point, finish the old tail the same way as at the end (zigzag + half hitches) and trim.

Joining thread: weave the new thread zigzag through a few beads and exit the same bead as the old thread, then keep stitching

Hide knots inside the beadwork and trim tails close to the beads for a clean finish.