Support Straps
Linda Landy
In Desert River I was unhappy with the grip of my bezel in certain areas because of the shape of the cabochon. Working off the edge the bezel, I created two three-bead wide, odd-count flat peyote support straps over the top of the cab and embellished them. They became a design element which I think added to the bracelet.
Here is how I did it:
Position your thread so it exits the “up bead” on the bezel where you want the strap to begin.
To work a three bead wide strap, the number of beads in each row will alternate between one and two beads. The first row is just one bead.
- Work in odd count flat peyote (page xx) until you have a strip long enough to touch the opposite side of the bezel. There must be an even number of rows in order to “zip up” your strap. Better short than long because you want the strap to hold firmly across the top of the cab.
- Our next step will be to attach the strap to the other side of the bezel. Before we can do that it is important to lock in the last bead on the final row by weaving through an adjacent bead on the strap and back through the final bead. This will prevent your beadwork from loosening up when you attach the strap.
Fit the strap into the “up beads” on the other side of the bezel. Follow the thread path to “zip” the edge of the bail to the top of the bezel. Gently pull tight as you go so the strap is completely interlocked into the bezel.
Reinforce the connection by following the thread path in the opposite direction.
Using stitch in the ditch technique , embellish the edges and top of the strap.
