Brick Stitch

Last summer, Merrill contacted me and asked if I could teach her peyote stitch for a big project she was working on. I had always wondered how to do this beautiful beadwork, but always wrote it off because it just looks so intimidating, not to mention time consuming.

I was also 4 months pregnant and knew someone better could teach her. I asked around and discovered a friend who had been doing this sort of beadwork since she was a kid.

However, my friend was not comfortable teaching anyone but me..

so I went for it!

For a few weeks, I sat and learned something new, something old and something really fun. We started with small swatches and simple projects like rings as we covered peyote stitch: flat and circular, brick stitch, ladder stitch, square stitch and hand looming.

It wasn't until this summer that Merrill actually came and took some lessons. And she, like myself, was intimidated at first by the amount of time this technique would require for the flower she had in mind. As it turned out the design for her petals was best made with brick stitch so that is what we did.. for weeks. It required us getting through those awkward first steps of learning, but then finding a flow and with the support of each other we were often times simply immersed in "a very peaceful, meditative process," Which is one of the main reasons Merrill creates her art.

Here is her completed flower and final vessel.

Find out more about Merrill's art at

www.merrillmorrison.com

My hope is that this blog will encourage you to take the leap and go on a new adventure with your hands and creativity. The first step is usually the hardest, but hopefully with my weekly tips, tricks and DIY projects the once intimidating will feel exciting and at last approachable.