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Website Contents Copyright K Dean 2002. Website Design
Copyright K Dean 2005 |
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The following paragraphs offer a brief background to the stitches used
by Bead Flowers to handcraft our jewellery. Herringbone Stitch is a traditional African beading stitch, used by the Ndebele tribe of
South Africa (hence it is sometimes referred to as Ndebele herringbone).
These beaders work without patterns or instructions and produce wonderful
colourful work to decorate their homes and to wear for tribal and ceremonial
occasions. |
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The Anglicised name of herringbone reflects the pattern produced by
the stitch (see sample above—the grey sections are herringbone), reminiscent
of fish bones and it is formed by adding two beads at a time. Peyote Stitch is a traditional American Indian stitch. It has been used for many,
many years and is referred to by a range of names: peyote stitch, twill
stitch, diagonal weave, gourd stitch. The name gourd stitch is used by Native
American beadworkers and describes a specific use for the stitch—covering
items such as rattles and fans that were used in their gourd dances. It is
commonly called Peyote stitch when used to make beadwork used for ceremonial
or religious purposes. The stitch is formed by adding one bead at a time to
produce a fabric with the appearance of brick paving. There are variants that
work by adding two or even three beads at
a time. In addition to our jewellery, Bead Flowers uses Peyote stitch
to make our tutus. Bead Weaving is used by Bead Flowers to create some of our woven chokers. It is
created using a special beading loom and is a stitch commonly used by Native
American Indians. The technique is crafted in the same manner as material is
woven and it is ideal for creating flat ‘sheets’ of bead material that can be
made into chokers, bracelets or belts. French Beading is the technique we use to make all our flowers. The art of making
French Beaded Flowers is thought to date back to Medieval Times. The earliest
flowers were made in Venice. Artisans manufactured beads which were used by
their wives in order to craft ornate flower arrangements. These women sold
their arrangements to be used in decorating altars, banqueting tables and
statuary. This beautiful craft has been handed down through the generations
and is still practised by a handful of women in Venice today. This art form spread beyond Italy, becoming particularly popular in
the Victorian era when many ladies took up the craft to fill their hours of
leisure time. In the absence of year-round fresh flowers, their beautiful
beaded arrangements provided a wonderful display. Interest in French Beading
seems to have undergone a further resurgence during the 1960s and 1970s. The technique basically involves threading thousands of tiny seed
beads onto wire and then shaping them into individual petals and leaves.
These are then assembled to form a 3-dimensional flower. Some arrangements
from past eras are still available today! If you are interested in finding
out more about this art form, several books have been published on the
subject. Or simply take a look at the flower photos on these pages! |
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Email:
beadflowers@btinternet.com |