Once a person goes through the growing pains of applying good beadwork it seems more doors open up for your imagination and work.It gets easier.The problem then will be finding designs that you like.I like geometric designs mostly because I like the period in history of the plains horse culture of the native americans of the late 1700's to early 1800's.
Eastern woodlands designs are very nice also and need more of the applique stitching method because of the floral designs.
The 3 stitches I mostly use are the siouw lazy stitch,cheyenne stitch which lays flatter than the siouw lazy stitch,and the applique stitch for curvy lines.I like to do some different types of edge beading also.
The cheyenne stitch lays flatter because 1 end of the row of beads being applied is connected to the thread of the previous row that it is next to above or below it while being tacked into the leather on the other end.Instead of being tacked down into the leather on both ends as the siouw lazy stitch is.
The souw lazy stitch will have a slight humped look to it.
The look of it always reminds me of moss growing on the ground,only it's beads onto leather.
The applique stitch is a longer row of beads on the needle tacked down like the siouw lazy stitch on both ends and then back stitched and tacked down every 3 beads sometimes completely going through the leather to tack it down on a curvy line following the design line.Rosettes can be made with this stitch also.
Otherwise all my bead stitching is done going only through half the thickness of the leather,and it's why brain tan is so suited for this work.In and right back out to the length of space that I want for my stitch.No stitchs are ever evident of my work on the backside of the leather.
I usually siouw lazy stitch my rosettes,but do applique them too when the circle gets or starts out very small in the center.
Beading a rosette using the siouw lazy stitch takes a slightly wider spaced stitch on the outer end than the inner end of the circle of the row of beads.It shows the 2 different ways on the last book by Ben Hunt I pictured.
It's about the toughest stitch to make to look right.The row your stitching down always needs to be pointed towards the center of the circle to look right.
The cheyenne stitch or modified siouw lazy stitch I like to call when used is a faster stitch to cover more area if you have a larger project.
Using larger beads like #8 pony beads will cover more area also more so than seed beads,but seed bead work will look more defined and impressive.
Nowadays it seems the most impressive beaders are doing work for pow wow dancers.Old colors like ponytrader blues,brick red whitehearts,greasy yellows,crow pale blues,cheyenne pinks and arapahoe greens are not used there.All pale colors like in the old days.
They are using very bright irridescent sometimes translusant colored type beads.
A little beadwork to compliment or highlight an item looks good.Too much beadwork and it looks gaudy to me.
