This nativity came out of this fine art project I’ve been toying around with for a while now. I just seem drawn to all types of pointillist images – my love of crosstitch is well documented, but mosaics and even perler beads have also made appearances here.
This is made from a beading stitch called peyote. It’s a stitch you do in your hands instead of on a loom, and I love it for what a tight, pristine, weave you end up with. Instructions for this stitch are all over the web, but here’s some good ones to try (This link is the absolute best. Watch the animation for Even Count Peyote and you’ll have it down in no time.).
Once your weaving is complete, you just have to mount it. I found myself a great picture frame, then took out the glass to act as my backdrop. I used spray adhesive to attach a piece of navy crepe backed silk, and then let it dry for a minute to get a good strong adhesion.
I sprayed my adhesive a little too close to the fabric so it soaked through to the other side in spots. Luckily for me, all the spots ended up covered by the nativity, but be careful! Stick the nativity to the front with a little white craft glue.
To get the pattern I’ve made up for you, just click on the image and download its original size from flickr.
This one got all kinds of oohs and aahs when I brought it to our nativity festival this year. Peyote stitch is really not terribly complicated, but the intracacy of the finished project just knocks peoples socks off.
