Designer Jewelry - Celllini Spiral Tutorial

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Cellini Spiral Tutorial

The Cellini spiral is a modified version of tubular peyote. The stitch is even-count peyote, with a step-up at the end of each round. The different size beads create the spiral. As with all peyote, you string the first two rows to start. This tutorial explains a pattern that uses eight beads in a round, i.e., three Delicas, four 11/0 galvanized beads, and one 8/0 bead.

White = Delica 052
Purple = 11/0 Galvanized Czech seed bead
Pink = 8/0 Silver-lined Czech seed bead

String 6 Delicas, 4 purple beads, and 2 pink beads, 4 purple beads, and go through the first two Delica beads again. See figure 1 below:

Figure 1

Pick up a Delica, skip a Delica and go through the next Delica. Do this again. Pick up a Delica skip a purple galvanized bead, and go through the second purple galvanized bead. Pick up a purple galvanized bead, go through a purple galvanized bead. Pick up a purple galvanized bead, and go through a pink 8/0 bead. Pick up a pink 8/0 bead and go through a purple galvanized bead. Pick up a purple galvanized bead, and go through a purple galvanized bead.

The next purple galvanized bead will go through the second Delica of the first circle of beads, and the first Delica of the third row, making the step up. This is shown in Figure 2 with red thread.

Figure 2

You now have three rows done. Keep the work flat for now.

Now pick up a Delica, and skipping the Delica in row 2, go through the first Delica of row 3. Pick up a Delica, and skipping the Delica in row 2, go through the second Delica of row 3. Pick up Delica and go through the first purple galvanized bead of row 3. String a purple bead, and go through the second purple bead of row 3. Next, string a purple bead and go through the first pink bead of row 3. The next bead strung, a pink bead, goes through the first purple bead of row 3. Notice that your next bead that you should pick up is the color of the bead through which you have just sewn.

Finish row four by stringing a purple bead, going through a purple bead; the next purple bead goes through a Delica, and again, you need to make a step up through the first Delica of row 4. If you have kept your work flat, the beadwork will look like figure 3 below:

Figure 3

You should now be able to take the flat piece and form it into a tube by pressing down in the center of the bead work, pulling on the thread, and forming it into a tube (Figure 4). You can use a pen to help form it. Continue beading by adding the same bead as the one from which your thread is exiting, and doing a step up at the end of each row until you have the length you need.

Figure 4

The Cellini Spiral

Here are the results of the stitch using the beads and bead count from this tutorial:

These instructions give you the basic idea of how the stitch works. If you want to see some professional pieces made using this stitch, including some variations using pearls, go to Jo Ann Ely's website.