Cheyenne women’s moccasins from the late 19th century. Blue beaded background with various red and black beaded geometric designs at perimeter and red beaded geometric designs on vamp, with a small lane of beading at instep. “V” shaped spilt in cuff. All beading is done with lazy stitch.

Women in the Plains region usually embroidered geometric polychrome designs with beads or quills. With white influence and trade, beads became more popular, though quillwork was still practiced (Furst and Furst 1982, 166). Bythe late 1830s women used beadwork more frequently, and by the late 1800s women were making entire garments, especially vests, moccasins, and leggings, covered with beads (Paterek 1994, 87). Early beadwork designs were geometric patterns, the inspiration for which often came from nature. In the late 1800s northern Plains Indians began using floral patterns, though geometric designs are the most commonly used in North American Indian art. Most of the symbolism of the decorations has been lost or kept secret, though some symbols ward off supernatural forces, like those for a baby’s cradleboard (Furst and Furst 1982, 167).

Women, depending on the tribe, used two types of stitches: the overlay stitch and the “lazy” stitch. The overlay stitch required single threads per beads, which meant that the beads would be stitched in one at a time. The “lazy” stitch allowed five or more beads per thread, which was faster and easier when covering large areas (Paterek 1994, 87).