How to Make a Beadwork Headband

Native Americans of the Great Plains decorated nearly everything they wore. Perhaps their most prized possessions displayed their talent for intricate beadwork, such as their beadwork headbands. The instructions that follow require some skill in using a loom. The zigzag or cross designs symbolized four winds and are typical of the artifacts of these Native Americans.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• No. 40 thread
• Weaving loom
• Graph paper
• Markers
• Fine bead needles
• Beeswax
• Beads
• Gummed paper

1. Tie thread to the tack at one end of the loom. Pass the thread through the spring and around the tack at the other end. Repeat this wrapping process until the width of the rows of thread reaches the desired size for the headband.

2. Draw a design on graph paper such as the zigzag pattern. The squares on the paper designate a bead. Color the design with markers.

3. Begin the first row by threading the needle with long thread. Double the thread and tie its ends into a knot. Wax the knot. Tie it to the outer loom thread at the farthest end of the loom.

4. Choose all beads needed for the first row. Match the design drawn on graph paper. Thread the beads onto the needle, sliding them down to the loom strings. Push the needle under the loom strings.

5. Use the left index finger to position the beads with one bead between each pair of strings. Push the needle back through the loom strings on the other side of the first thread. Pull tightly on the thread so that the beads fit snugly. Repeat the weaving process, one row at a time.

6. End a thread by pushing the needle once around the other loom string and then through several beads. Cut the thread if necessary. Finish the headband by putting gummed paper tape below the loom strings. Then cut the strings along the tape.