Boho Beautiful.....
Welcome back to the fabulous Bead Weaving 101 series here on The Alluring Bead Boutique.
Today we are continuing to explore advanced Brick Stitch techniques and will learn the basics for beading on a Frame/Component.
This is one of my all-time favorite techniques and I hope you love it as much as I do.
In my last post, we explored the Brick Stitch on a Bead technique, and talked about how the bead work will naturally increase as we work out from a round object and the circumference of the base grows larger and larger.
The same holds true for this technique. Each additional row will need to be adjusted to accommodate the every increasing circumference of the base and previous additions.
In all our previous Brick Stitch lessons, we have used existing thread bridges to build our Brick Stitch rows.
In this technique, the hoop or frame takes the place of thread bridges for the first outer and inner row of bead work.
Other than that, the structure and thread path for the stitch is basically the same.
Tools and Materials
I have listed all the materials used for this tutorial and have included my affiliate links, where available.
A few items are from Fusion Beads and Joann’s and I added the links as well for your convenience.
I will be presenting the full earring tutorial at a later date. Here are the additional materials used.
I can no longer find the hematite cube beads I use in the embellishments, but you can substitute another 2 mm cube bead or bead of your choice when we get to the earring tutorial later.
Additional Materials for Earrings
6 mm Czech Glass Tile Beads – 2 hole – Turquoise Picasso
5 x 16 mm 2 hole Czech Glass Dagger Beads – Turquoise Picasso
2 – Jump Rings and Earring Findings of your choice – I used Antique Brass findings.
To make things a little easier to understand, this tutorial is broken down into three parts.
- The Outer Row
- The Increase Row on the Outside
- The Inner Row
Each part, has step by step instructions and an accompanying video.
Row One - The Outer Row
For this technique, we will use the wire frame as a substitute for the thread bridge as we work the first outer and first inner rows of bead work.
To do this we simple need to tie the thread to the frame securely.
- Thread the needle with a wingspan of your beading thread.
- Pass the tail thread through the center of the frame.
- Tie two tight overhand knots to secure the thread.
I am using the 8/0 bead for the first outer row.
As with most forms of Brick Stitch, the first stitch begins by picking up two beads.
Instead of passing the needle under a thread bridge, we will pass the needle through the center of the frame.
We work this stitch from back to front.
Pick up two 8/0 beads and let them drop to the frame and hold in place with your finger.
Pass the needle through the center of the frame, from back to front.
Try not to let the beads fall through the frame as you pull the thread through.
For the next few steps we will be working on the front side of the frame.
Pass the needle up through the second bead,
This is the bead farthest away from the knot and tail thread.
It is not actually necessary to straighten the first bead at the start of a new row.
However, by doing so, it serves to secure the first bead and prevent the thread from loosening while you work the row. And I prefer take the few extra seconds it takes to straighten the bead.
Pass the needle down through the first bead.
Pull the thread all the way through.
Pass the needle back up through the second bead again.
This puts a thread between the two beads at the bottom (Ladder Stitch) and puts your working thread into position to add more beads.
We finish the row by adding one bead at a time. There are two methods you can choose from to add the remaining beads.
You can drop the bead down to the frame, as we did above, before passing the needle through the frame.
My preferred method is shown here.
Pick up the 8/0 bead.
Hold your forefinger against the frame.
Pass the needle between your finger and the frame to hold the bead in place as you pull the thread.
Now your thread is on the front of the frame.
Pass the needle back up through the new bead.
Pull the thread straight out from the bead. This places the new bead directly against the previous one.
Repeat the steps above to add new bead to the frame and work around to the end of the row.
As you work, make sure that you have no wide gaps between the beads.
Keep your tension firm and even so the beads line up nicely on a linear plane and do not jut out to the left or right of the frame.
It is very important to check the position of the last bead you add in the round.
If the bead does not lay flat onto the frame, when you close the work, it will bulge out to the side and diminish the look of your work.
If this happens, remove the bead and massage the the existing bead work gently to minimize the remaining gap before closing the bead work
At the end of each row, we need to connect the last bead to the first bead to close the bead work and get into position to begin a new row.
The working thread is exiting the top of the last bead.
Pass the needle down through the first bead.
This will place a thread bridge at the top of the two beads.
Now pass the needle back up through the last bead once more.
This will place a thread bridge at the bottom of the two beads.
Reinforce the last two steps.
Here is a short video tutorial that demos the steps we have just completed.
This concludes Part 1 of Brick Stitch on a Frame.
In Part 2, we will learn to add another row on the outside edge using smaller beads and the increase technique.
Stay tuned and don’t forget to like this post and follow my blog.