Yes, there is more to peyote than "day tripping!" The peyote stitch, aka the gourd stitch, is one of the most controversial beading stitches. The stitch was originally developed by Native Americans, as well as appearing in Africa, at some unknown time in the past. Given the distance between the two groups, it isn’t clear how this happened. Established trade routes in ancient times made it possible for beading and stitchery techniques to pass from one group of people to another. As a result, new stitches evolved. Native Americans, as well as Africans, may have discovered this stitch on their own at the same time. If you take beads and thread and needle in hand, it is possible to come up with something someone else discovered on their own. Such is history…. It repeats itself.As a person who has had long arms all of my life, I’ve had to succumb to the fact that my arms are now “too short”, and getting shorter by the day. After quilt club the other night, several of my friends and I discussed a 40 year old “girl” who makes everything in miniature. We all admire the wonderful work she does, but “tearfully’ reminisced about the good old days when we could do that, too. Mostly we laughed about our collections of glasses that enable us to sew.
At a needle arts guild meeting in April, I definitely decided I don’t like to bead – in particular, the peyote brand of beading. The project was a pin. We were given little bags of tiny beads, fine wire and a pattern with lots of intricate little lines going in various directions. Of course I came prepared with lamps, magnification and various accoutrements that I thought I would need for making this little 1” by 2” pin. As I sat at a table with new acquaintances who were just crazy about peyote beading, I thought this is going to be great; a new little art form to add to my crazy quilt.
Then class started!!!! My wires were never going in the right direction let along my beads. I struggled along with help from everyone at my table and eventually left at the end of the day with a sore neck, a headache and a battered ego. The lady at the end of the table, who had already made her pin, showed us her current project. It was the most darling little peyote beaded purse – it even opened and closed. The most interesting thing about it was it was only 1”square. "It’s so easy—anyone can make this.,” she said. Like that it is going to happen. There isn’t enough aspirin or magnification on God’s good earth that would allow me to do that. So much for my ability to do peyote.
So I guess it is back to the “cheater” glasses – my friend says I can get a four pack at Walmarts. I will continue to bead in my own crazy artistic way that works for me---happy in my own little world. The moral of the story, and there has to be a moral for this one: get used to shorter arms, get some glasses( anything that allows you to see your favorite stitching), admire the younger members who don ‘t need to wear their glasses…and quietly laugh to yourself. Their day is coming, just like us. And above all watch out for peyote…both the stuff that you smoke and those beautiful beads you will never be able to stitch, whether you are smoking it or not.
http://www.beadwrangler.com/samplers/peyote1/peyote_history.htm
