Favorite Bead Stitches

My sister is the one who first got me hooked on beading. As a newly-married twenty-something, I enjoyed my occasional weekend escapes, when we’d spend hours sitting on the floor of my sister’s apartment crafting simple strung designs. It was she who took me to the bead store for the first time, where I gazed, starry eyed, at the beautiful stitched cuffs on display. And it was my sister who, when I told her I’d just gotten a job working for Beadwork magazine, held up her April/May 2007 issue, exclaiming “This magazine?!” I can still see that minty green cover in my mind’s eye, and I can still feel my astonishment that I’d soon spend my days in the midst of such remarkable talent and beautiful beaded designs! Now here we…

TECHNIQUES tubular, circular, and flat peyote stitch ladder stitch brick stitch St. Petersburg chain PROJECT LEVEL £££ MATERIALS 5 g metallic gold size 15° seed beads (A) 15 g matte metallic gold size 11° cylinder beads (B) 5 g metallic blue size 11° cylinder beads (C) 5 g matte ruby size 11° cylinder beads (D) 5 g matte metallic green size 11° cylinder beads (E) 5 g metallic bronze/lavender size 11° cylinder beads (F) 44 lapis 2mm stone rounds (G) 37 emerald 3×2mm stone rondelles (H) 1 lapis 10×3mm stone coin 2 kyanite 10×3mm stone coins Clear plastic wrap Gold size D Nymo or One-G nylon beading thread TOOLS Scissors Size 10 beading needle and size 12 sharp needle Double-sided tape FINISHED SIZE 19" 1) PENDANT BEZEL. Use circular and tubular peyote stitch to form a bezel for the pendant’s back-to-back stone coins: Round 1: Use 3' of thread to string 3B; pass through…

TECHNIQUES flat and cubic right-angle weave tubular peyote stitch picot PROJECT LEVEL £££ MATERIALS 15 g metallic gold size 11° seed beads (A) 190 crystal metallic light gold 2X 3mm crystal bicones (B) 2 silver 6mm sew-on snap sets Smoke 6 lb FireLine braided beading thread TOOLS Scissors Size 11 beading needle FINISHED SIZE 7½" (stretches to 8") 1) RINGS. Form a cubic-right-angleweave ring: Cube 1: Use 6' of thread to string 4A, leaving a 6" tail. Tie the working and tail threads together to form a tight circle. Pass through the first 2A strung to form the first face of the cube. String 3A, pass through the last A exited, and continue through the first 2A just added to form the second face; repeat to form the third face (Fig. 1, blue thread). String 1A; pass through the end A of the first face. String…

TECHNIQUE cubic right-angle weave PROJECT LEVEL £££ MATERIALS 5 g metallic purple iris size 15° seed beads (A) 5 g metallic light green size 11° seed beads (B) 15 g metallic purple iris size 11° seed beads (C) 20 g metallic purple iris size 8° seed beads (D) 110 metallic purple iris 4mm drop beads (E) 90 light green 3mm crystal pearls (F) 8 olivine 3mm crystal bicones (G) 9 olivine 6mm crystal bicones (H) 2 silver 5×9mm magnetic clasps Smoke 6 lb FireLine braided beading thread TOOLS Scissors Size 12 beading needles Chain-nose pliers FINISHED SIZE 7½" 1) FRONT LAYER. Use size 8° seed beads and cubic right-angle weave to stitch an open rectangular base that forms the front of the frame: Note: Use chain-nose pliers to maneuver the needle as necessary. Cube 1, bottom: Use 6' of thread to string 4D, leaving a 3" tail. Tie the working and tail…

TECHNIQUES two-needle right-angle weave netting stringing PROJECT LEVEL ££¡ MATERIALS 3 g metallic gold size 11° seed beads (A) 56 amethyst 4mm crystal bicones (B) 49 crystal dorado 2X 6mm crystal bicones (C) 70 soft gold 6mm crystal pearls (D) 1 gold 7×22mm fancy hook-and-eye clasp Smoke 8 lb FireLine braided beading thread TOOLS Scissors 2 size 10 or 12 beading needles FINISHED SIZE 15¼" 1) COMPONENT 1. Use two-needle rightangle weave for the component base and netting embellishment: Base Unit 1: Place a needle at each end of 7' of thread. Use the right needle to string 3C; use the left needle to string 1C. Use the left needle to pass back through the third C strung with the right needle (Fig. 1, blue thread). Note: The “right” and “left” needle will switch with each new section. Don’t switch needles unless indicated. Base Unit 2: Use the right…

TECHNIQUES circular peyote stitch variation right-angle weave variation PROJECT LEVEL ££¡ MATERIALS 1 g opaque golden olive luster size 15° Japanese seed beads (A) 1 g magenta Duracoat size 11° Japanese seed beads (B) 7 g magic apple 3.8×1mm O beads (C) 5 g pastel burgundy 5×2.5mm 2-hole SuperDuos (D) 4 g pastel lime 5×2.5mm 2-hole SuperDuos (E) 38 olive 2.5×1.5mm crystal rondelles (F) 54 metallic amethyst 3mm fire-polished rounds (G) 1 gunmetal 16×10mm 2-strand tube clasp Smoke 6 lb FireLine braided beading thread TOOLS Scissors Size 12 beading needle FINISHED SIZE 7 ¾ " artist’s tip If the beads become difficult to pass through, switch to a sharp (short) needle or a smaller (thinner) needle. 1) COMPONENTS. Use a variation of circular peyote stitch to form the individual components: Rounds 1 and 2: Use 3' of thread to string {1D and 1C} six times, leaving a 6" tail. Use the working and tail threads…