Basic Stitch Tutorial - Brick Stitch

It's been some time since we had a Basic Stitch post so here we are with a brick stitch tutorial! In brick stitch, each bead is offset from the beads below, rather like a brick in a wall (hence the name). You can use any size bead for this stitch but you'll want to use beads that are fairly regular in size, to keep a straight line, and any of the Japanese seed beads are great for this. I'm using Toho size 11 seed beads here.

Start off with a ladder stitch base. If you're not familiar with ladder stitch we have a tutorial for you here. If you'd prefer a thicker base to hold onto you can always make a two bead stack. I've made a one bead stack here. The length can be any number of beads but you'll want your thread to be coming out of the top of the last bead.

Pick up 2 seed beads and pass the needle under the thread that connects the two end beads on the ladder stitch base...

...and sew up through the last bead added. Pull the thread taut so that the two beads sit neatly side by side.

Now pick up 1 seed bead and pass the needle underneath the next thread. These connecting threads are also known as 'bridges' so that's what I'll refer to them from here on.

Sew up through the bead you just added...

Repeat the above step, adding 1 bead at a time, until you reach the end of the base and have no more bridges left.

To make this end of the brick stitch identical to the other you will have to add one more bead so pick up 1 bead and pass the needle under the same bridge that you just used and sew back up through the bead as before.

And that is your basic brick stitch!

Now there is the subject of increasing and decreasing with this stitch which you'll need to learn in order to complete a pattern. Depending on the pattern you have two choices on how to start and end your rows. 

If you start as I did at the beginning, by adding 2 beads onto the first bridge this will increase the edge by 1 bead...

If you keep doing this you'll have a diagonal shaped edge which you can see starting in the photo below...

But what if you don't need a diagonal edge? Easy! You pick up your 2 beads as usual but skip the first thread bridge and pass the needle under the second....

...and back up through the second bead...

But ugh, now my beads are wonky! Never mind, there's a trick for this. Sew down through the first bead...

...then up through the second bead...

And ooh look, nice neat beads! I do like it when my beads line up lol, but I guess you could skip this bit if you're not bothered ;)

Now when you get to the end of this row you can either stop at the last thread bridge to decrease the edge or add another bead to it if you need to increase the edge. 

Tips: You can use two or more beads to give your beadwork extra height, remember to pick up double at the start of your row. So if you use two beads per stitch then pick up four to start.

Notice how brick stitch looks exactly like peyote stitch when you rotate it? This means that you can use any peyote pattern for brick stitch (and vice versa), you just need to turn the pattern on it's side!

Here are some examples of finished brick stitch projects, all made by our very own Carol Passaro.

Carol's own design

Adapted from a pattern by Rita Sova

 Holly pattern by Threadabead

 Poppy by Kerrie Slade

Basic Stitch Tutorial - Herringbone Stitch

Last week we showed you how to make a strip of ladder stitch and this week we'll be using that strip as a starting base for herringbone. Herringbone stitch is one of my top three stitches and very easy to do once you learn the technique. I remember the first time I tried this stitch, I was amazed at how the beads lean toward each other so neatly to look almost like knitted stocking stitch.

First of all you need your ladder stitch base which for the purposes of this tutorial should be an even number of columns. I'm starting with a base of 8 columns, 2 beads high. You can start from a single row of beads but the double row is much easier to hold on to when you begin stitching.

With the thread coming out of a bead at the end of the row, pick up 2 beads and sew down through the adjacent bead...



Then sew back up through the next bead...



Pick up 2 more beads and sew down through the next bead, then back up through the next...



Continue in this way until you reach the end of the row. You'll see that the thread ends in the wrong place for starting a new row so you need to make a little maneouver to get the thread into the correct position.

Sew up through the adjacent bead...



and then sew up through the last bead you added...



Continue as before, adding your pairs of beads to the pairs in the previous row and making the turn at the end of each row...







When you've finished your strip of herringbone you'll want to finish off the end so that the beads are joined together rather than separated into pairs. The thread path is exactly the same as ladder stitch.

Sew down through the second bead...



and up through the third...



Sew back down through the second bead again...



and back up through the third...



Continue in this way, stitching each bead to it's neighbours. Finish off by weaving both your threads into the beadwork and trim.



Or rather than trim them, you may want to use the threads to attach a button and loop to make a bracelet as I've done here. For this one I've used hex beads.



And here I've used a blue and green mix of size 11s and attached the strip of herringbone to an aluminium cuff that I first covered with Ultrasuede. A perfect base for this huge button!



Well I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial. There's so much things you can do with this stitch so I hope you'll continue to explore it and wish you many adventures in herringbone!

Basic Stitch Tutorial - Ladder Stitch

Today's basic stitch tutorial is ladder stitch, which is a very useful technique to learn. Incredibly easy to do, it often forms the basis for many other stitches, including herringbone and brick stitch.

You can work ladder stitch using one or more beads, but for the purpose of this tutorial I'm making a strip that's two beads high (this is sometimes called a two bead stack). If you need to make a strip one bead high, simply pick up one bead at a time instead of two.

Thread your needle with a comfortable length of thread and pick up a stop bead. Leaving about an 8" tail, sew through the stop bead once or twice more being careful not to split the thread. The stop bead is optional but it will help to keep the beads positioned as you work.

Pick up 4 seed beads, slide them down to the stop bead and sew through the first 2 seed beads in the same direction...



Pull the thread snug, positioning the beads so that the two pairs sit side by side and sew back down through the second pair...



Pick up 2 more seed beads and sew down through the adjacent pair of beads...



Sew back up through the pair you just added...



Continue in this way, picking up 2 beads at a time until the strip is as wide as you need.



Don't forget to check back next week when I'll be using this ladder stitch strip as a base for herringbone :)

Basic Stitch Tutorial - Spiral Rope

Another of my favourites and a very popular stitch among beaders is spiral rope. Also known as spiral rope chain, spiral staircase or spiral stitch, it is very versatile and you can make it as simple or as embellished as you like.

There are two sets of beads in spiral rope, the core beads and the outer beads. The core beads run through the centre of the rope, these are usually the same colour and size throughout. The outer beads spiral around the core beads and can be one colour and bead type or a combination of several. You can achieve a multitude of different effects simply by changing the combination of colours, sizes and types of beads you use.

For this tutorial I'm making a very simple rope using size 11 seed beads with 3 outer beads over 4 core beads.

1. With a comfortable length of thread, pick up 4 core beads and three outer beads. Slide them down the thread leaving a tail of about 8-10".



2. Sew through the 4 core beads once more, in the same direction.



3. Position the beads so that the outer beads are on the left.



4. Pick up 1 core bead and three outer beads. Keeping the first set of outer beads pushed to the left, sew through the top 3 core beads.



5. Sew through the single core bead that you just added before pulling the thread snug.



Repeat steps 4 and 5 until the rope is as long as you need, pushing the outer beads to the left each time.

Note: You can push the outer beads to the right if your prefer, just make sure you push them all in the same direction throughout the rope.

Here are a few finished ropes in various colours...



I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial, please leave a comment if you have any questions or tips you'd like to share!

Basic Stitch Tutorial - Peyote

Welcome to the first of our basic stitch tutorials! In this series of tutorials we'll be showing you the basics of different stitches and techniques, building up a collection of tutorials that you can refer to whenever you need them. Because you can do so much with the basic stitches once you've learnt them we won’t be including instructions for finishing or embellishing.

We’re beginning the series with peyote stitch, a very versatile technique which is well worth adding to any beaders repertoire. In this tutorial I’m using size 8 Japanese seed beads to create a strip of peyote 6 beads wide. This is a quick and easy way to learn peyote as you only need to add 3 beads per row and the bead size means it works up quickly. I’m also using C-lon beading thread and a size 10 beading needle.

Before you start, thread your needle with a comfortable length of thread. Pick up a stop bead, move it down to about 8" from the end of the thread and sew through it again in the same direction, being careful not to split the thread. The stop bead is a single bead in a contrast colour, it stops your beads falling off and helps you to achieve a better tension when you work the first few rows.

You may find it easier to work the first few rows on a flat surface.

Pick up 6 beads and slide them down to the stop bead.



Pick up 1 bead, skip the first bead on the row and sew through the second bead.



Pick up 1 bead, skip a bead on the row and sew through the next bead.



Pick up 1 bead, skip a bead and sew through the final bead to complete the row. Pull the thread taut to line up the beads.


You’ve just completed 3 rows of peyote (the 6 beads you picked up at the start count as rows 1 and 2) and now have a small strip that has ‘up beads’.

Onto row 4...

Pick up 1 bead and sew through the first ‘up bead’.



Pick up 1 bead and sew through the second ‘up bead’.



Pick up 1 bead and sew through the final ‘up bead’.



Continue picking up 1 bead and sewing through the ‘up beads’, adding 3 beads per row until the strip is as long as you need. You can change the direction that you sew or you might find it easier to flip the strip over after every row. Make sure you keep the thread taut as you work.



Here’s a bracelet I made with the above instructions, using a 'Salt & Pepper' Miyuki bead mix.



I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial, if you have any questions then please ask away!