Freeform Beading is one of the most relaxing, enjoyable beading methods I know. Once the beaded base is established, you're free to add all the fun little extra beads including your focal, if you want a focal, or Swarovski crystals, vintage beads, beaded flowers, or just about any type of bead or bit of beadwork you can think of.

Freeform Peyote Stitch Beading is also great for those of you for whom following a pattern is a challenge, artistically or visually. I have trouble with both the visual and the artistic aspect. Perhaps if it were easier for me visually, I wouldn't get so fidgety. Color, texture, balance, scale and fun are the most important aspects of freeform beading, and this week I'll begin a freeform project just to show one in action, from picking the beads (well, they are picked, but I'll show you the choices) through each of the steps to the finished bracelet. I'll do that by posting periodic here in the Beadwork Blog.

I will also return to an older project, one I began as a Freeform Beading experiment using beads and colors that are Not My Usual Bead Color Palette and are very different from my normal color choices and in shapes I do not normally incorporate into my beading. The colors are maroon, mustard and charcoal, the focal beads are handmade in Greece from a company called The Mykonos Beads and are from their collection of Raku finish beads. Since my last post about this project, I also found some wool bass in the same shades as the three I'm using, and will incorporate those, too. This will be a fun, interesting project in working outside the usual parameters for me! I hope you enjoy following along. Oh, and please, feel free to offer any comments along the way. Later today or Tuesday I'll post a better picture of the Not My Usual project, so you can get a better look at the colors involved.