Palettes: Generic cylinder beads · 6–120 beads wide · up to 30 colours
Free peyote & brick stitch patterns to start with
What peyote and brick stitch are
Peyote and brick stitch are the two great stitches of off-loom bead weaving. With nothing more than a needle, thread and seed beads you build a flexible fabric of beads, one at a time, in an offset grid. Peyote produces flat or tubular bands that make cuffs, bookmarks, key rings and bead-covered pens. Brick stitch builds outwards from a ladder of beads and is the classic way to make fringed earrings, pendants and shaped motifs.
Because the grid is offset, ordinary square graph paper and most pattern software are no help. These tools draw the real offset grid, half a bead out of line exactly as the beads will sit, and write out the word chart for you. Everything runs in your browser.
Choosing stitch, size and colours
Stitch. Choose peyote for bands and bracelets and brick stitch for earrings and pendants. You can switch between them at any time in the advanced options; the same design is redrawn on the other grid.
Size. A peyote cuff is often 10 to 20 beads wide and long enough to go round the wrist, typically 16 to 18 cm: with 1.6 mm per bead that is roughly 100 to 110 beads along each column of the chart, or twice as many rows in the word chart, because each peyote row fills only every other column. Earrings are usually 10 to 20 beads wide. Panels and wall hangings can be 100 beads or more. Widths from 6 to 120 beads are supported.
Colours. Small bead pieces need strong contrast. Four to eight colours suit most bracelets and earrings, and photos look good at 12 to 20. The default is 8.
How the tools fit together
The photo to peyote tool converts a picture into a peyote or brick stitch chart with a realistic bead preview. The peyote name pattern maker puts names and words onto bracelets, using the Sideways layout so letters read along the band. The peyote pattern editor lets you design from scratch on the offset grid, with mirroring for symmetrical earrings and unlimited undo.
Downloads include a PDF with a cover page, a colour key with bead counts and grams, chart pages drawn on the offset grid, and the full word chart. The stitch tracker lets you tick off beads as you work, one line of the chart at a time; each chart line holds two rows of the word chart, so tracker line 1 is word-chart Rows 1 & 2.
Common mistakes
- Using round seed beads for a cylinder-bead chart. Round beads work but give a softer, less even picture.
- Losing your place. In peyote each row only fills every other column, so it is easy to skip a bead; follow the word chart and tick off each row as you go.
- Tension too tight or too loose. A tight thread curls the band; a loose one shows thread between beads.
- Too many shades. At 1.3 mm per bead, colours that differ only slightly are invisible.
- Forgetting the clasp. Leave room at both ends of a bracelet for the clasp or a zip-up join.
Getting started
- Decide on peyote (bracelet) or brick stitch (earrings).
- Open the photo or text tool and set the width in beads.
- Keep the colours to about eight and check the bead preview.
- Tidy single beads and sharpen edges in the editor.
- Download the PDF, buy beads by weight, and follow the word chart from Rows 1 & 2.
Peyote & brick stitch guides
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between peyote and brick stitch?
Both are off-loom bead-weaving stitches that produce a fabric of beads in an offset grid. In peyote the columns are offset by half a bead, and each new row fills the gaps left by the row before. In brick stitch the rows are offset, like bricks in a wall, and each bead is anchored to the thread loops of the row below. Peyote is common for cuffs and bracelets; brick stitch for earrings and shaped pendants.
Which beads do the charts use?
11/0 cylinder beads, the tube-shaped seed beads favoured for bead weaving because they sit flat and tight. The palette is our own set of 66 generic shades (opaque, matte and metallic) with descriptive names; pick the closest beads you can buy.
What is a word chart?
A written list of the beads in each row, such as “Row 3 (←): (2) Opaque black, (1) Opaque chalk white”. Many beaders follow the word chart instead of the picture because it is quicker to read. Every PDF includes one, and the first rows appear under the chart in the tool.
Why do rows 1 and 2 appear together?
In flat even-count peyote you pick up the beads for the first two rows in one go; they settle into two rows when you add row 3. The word chart therefore starts with Rows 1 & 2, the whole top line of the chart strung from right to left, so the last bead strung is at the left; row 3 starts there and runs left to right, then the rows alternate direction, each using every other column.
How many grams of beads do I need?
The key lists the number of beads per colour and an estimate in grams, using roughly 190 cylinder beads per gram. Bead weights vary a little by finish, so round up when you buy.
How big will my bracelet be?
In peyote each 11/0 cylinder bead adds about 1.3 mm across and 1.6 mm along the columns. A 15-bead-wide band is therefore about 2 cm wide. In brick stitch the bead is turned, so rows are about 1.3 mm tall and beads about 1.6 mm wide.
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