A basic peyote-stitch cuff is very easy to create and opens up limitless possibilities for designs. Peyote stitch has been used for hundreds of years by Native Americans to decorate ceremonial garb and to create protective talismans or honor particular individuals. Today, peyote stitch has been adapted to all manner of contemporary designs. Cuffs are popular because of the ease in making them and the ability to create any design, making them perfect for male or female wear. When done correctly, cuffs are extremely durable and quality beads will never fade.

The first important choices you'll make are your pattern and the kind of beads and thread you'll use for your peyote cuff. Size 11 seed beads are the ones most often used for this kind of work because of their availability and size. These beads are small enough (about 2mm) to be used in very detailed projects, yet large enough that anyone with reasonably good eyesight can work with them. For the maximum in uniformity for projects with modern patterns, Delica cylinder beads are the top choice of beaders. Delicas have amazing uniformity and come in hundreds of shades and finishes. If you're looking for more of an authentic native look, Czech seed beads are amongst the favorites, I personally use those manufactured by Ornela and come in dozens of colors.

You don't want normal cotton thread for beading, it's not durable enough and tangles easily. Ideally, you'll either have a nylon beading thread such as Nymo, quality monofilament or Fireline. Nymo is available in most hobby shops and is easy to find online. Fireline is actually a fishing line that is available in outdoor supply shops or in the sporting goods areas of large department stores. For beading purposes, you'll want 2lb test Fireline, just make sure you don't accidentally get the one that's "the same diameter as 2lb test of other brands" because this is too large for beading needles.

Next, you'll need to decide what kind of base your peyote cuff will be on. Cuffs can be made without a base, but it will be very flexible and there will be nothing to protect the threads from wear and tear except the beads themselves. Threads can get stretched out or sawed off by sharp edges of beads, though quality thread and quality beads generally have a low risk of this happening. Common bases include cloth, buckskin or even metal. It is up to you whether the base will be covered with beads on one side or both. With both sides, the beads themselves will encase the base and there will be no need to fasten it. If only one side will be beaded, the beadwork can be fastened to the base in a number of different ways including stitching or gluing with an industrial-strength glue. Thread used for stitching should be separate from thread used to sew beadwork to the base so the beadwork can be removed should the base ever get worn out.

Before you begin beading, cut about a 3' length of thread to work with. Nymo or similar threads must be stretched before it's used or the beadwork may end up loose as the thread relaxes. Place a single bead on the thread and run the thread through it several times about three inches from the end of the thread. This is your stop bead which will be removed later, so it's a good idea to have one that is a contrasting color from the rest of the work so that it can be readily recognized. For a basic peyote stitch, string all the beads from the first two rows of your pattern onto the thread. Thread the first bead of the third row on, then run the needle through the second bead away from the needle that was in the first two rows. Repeat with each bead of the third row, running the needle through every other bead. Continue for the remainder of the pattern.

When you have about 4-5" of each thread left it's time to tie it off. Peyote beadwork does not have any knots, so when old threads need tied off and new threads added on, the thread is woven through existing beads until it's sturdily tucked in. When the piece is finished, go back and remove the stop bead and weave the tail into the beadwork in the same way.

This is for basic peyote stitch. There are several other kinds of peyote stitch, including two-drop and three-drop in which two or three beads are strung on and skipped at a time. These methods can create some very interesting effects and different types of patterns than basic peyote can do.

Remember, beading isn't about sticking to a pattern or set of instructions, get creative! Peyote can be used for all sorts of bead sizes and shapes, even within the same project. Take a handful of leftover beads and weave them into a peyote cuff regardless of size and see what happens, or add in embellishments such as buttons, rhinestones and more. The options are truly endless, and that's just with a single bead stitch.