This little swatch of flat, odd-count peyote stitch makes a cute panel for a beaded amulet bag. You can also repeat it to create a wide cuff bracelet. It was originally designed to be a square in the 2012 Bead-It-Forward beaded quilt project.
Update: The 2013 quilt square theme is flowers. Stayed tuned for some free flower patterns and ideas.
About the Bead-It-Forward Project
Bead-It-Forward is a fundraising project organized by Jeanette Shanigan and Bead&Button magazine. Each year, beaders are invited to donate one or more squares of beadwork for a beaded quilt that will be auctioned at that annual Bead&Button show. Proceeds are used to help fund breast cancer research.
The first Bead-It-Forward quilt was produced in 2006. Its theme was butterflies, and 31 bead artists participated. Jeanette stitched the beaded squares together herself and donated the quilt to Bead Artists Against Breast Cancer (BAABC) for auction at the Bead&Button show. That first quilt sold for over $1,000.
Since then, the project has grown in popularity (in 2011, 672 turtle themed squares produced six quilts), and over $18,000 have been raised to date. To learn more about the history of Bead-it-Forward and see photos of the completed quilts, visit Fire Mountain Gems' Bead-It-Forward page.
How to Participate
Project guidelines and cutoff dates for submissions are published annually in Bead&Button magazine. In 2011, they were announced on page 10 of the December issue. You can find the same information by running a search for "quilt" on the Bead&Button website.
To be included in a quilt, your square must measure 1.5 by 1.5 inches and reflect the year's chosen motif. The 2012 motif was "Birds flocking together to fund breast cancer research and find the cure," and it called for beadwork depicting or related to birds.
You can use any type, style, or stitch for your beadwork, from beadweaving to bead embroidery, as long as it meets the size and motif requirements. After completing your square, you need to attach it to a 2-inch by 2-inch backing so that it can be stitched together with other squares to form a quilt.
With the backing in place and your signature on the back, your square will be ready to mail to the address provided in the guidelines. All squares must be received by the project deadline. The deadline for the 2012 quilt was March 1, 2012.