Small cradle with floral beadwork designs. Brass studs. Shell dangle. Cloth doll positioned inside. Ink-drawn features.Women in the Plateau region usually embroidered natural and floral patterns with beads or quills. With white influence and trade, beads became more popular, though quillwork was still practiced (Furst and Furst 1982, 166). By the 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. 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).