Finding Help With Tso Stitch

Over the past few months I've had some requests for help with Tso stitch, which is a combination of tubular peyote stitch and right-angle weave developed by Eddy Tso. It was introduced to readers of Bead & Button magazine in the April 2010 issue, which included a project for a dimensional flower bracelet.

I myself found the Bead & Button directions to be a little daunting ("and not without typos," said the Queen of Typos) so I reached out to Eddy to see whether she was comfortable with my offering a supplementary tutorial here on About.

It turns out that she'd prefer I not do the tutorial.

Eddy currently sells PDF tutorials of the stitch, and she prefers that those remain the main source of instructions. To understand where she's coming from, you have to consider the number of hours of experimentation (and I'm sure, at times, frustration) that went into developing a new stitch. It's a big investment of time and energy -- and a pretty awesome accomplishment.

So, even though beading stitches generally cannot be "copyrighted," I'm going to stay away from this one out of professional courtesy. However, there are a few sources I recommend you make use of if you need help with Tso stitch.

First, contact Eddy herself with questions. She's obviously the most knowledgeable person about the stitch, and your feedback will help her make any needed updates to her tutorials.

Next, be aware that Bead & Button offers a free condensed version of the flower tutorial for download as a subscriber extra. It's written a little differently than the tutorial in the print magazine, so you might benefit from it.

Remember that you can hop into the Beadwork forum and post questions about any beadweaving stitch, including Tso, anytime. Other readers' experiences can be invaluable when you get stuck.

Finally, if you're still feeling frustrated, consider whether this really is a stitch that you need to master. It's a specialty stitch, and not as versatile as the traditional off-loom stitches -- and I honestly don't think it's for everyone. Read some other beaders' comments in this Beading for Brains post.

Have you already tried Tso stitch? If so, how did you like it? Did you run into any challenges following along with the Bead & Button tutorial?

Photo of Bead & Button magazine by Chris Franchetti Michaels

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