It has been a while since I have been able to sit down and write a new tutorial. I am thrilled to be back to work and am ready to introduce our next stitch in the Bead Weaving 101 series.
In this portion of the series, we are going to dive into Right Angle Weave and the common variations of the stitch.
Right-Angle weave stitch, also known as RAW, is an off-loom bead weaving technique.
Beads are stitched together with thread only making right angle turns, hence the name. The result is an almost fabric like piece of bead work. Right-Angle weave can be woven with either one needle or two.
With single needle right-angle weave, the thread path moves in a figure-eight pattern. For double needle right-angle weave, the threads cross each other along the center bead of each stitch as they head in opposite directions. RAW can be formed into flat pieces, tubes, or 3 dimensional figures.
- Right Angle Weave Basics – RAW
- Tubular Right Angle Weave
- Cubic Right Angle Weave – CRAW
- Prismatic Right Angle Weave – PRAW
- Modified Right Angle Weave – MRAW
- Filled Right Angle Weave
- Cross Needle Right Angle Weave
There are several variations on the basic stitch.
Here is a list of the variations I will cover in the series, over the next few weeks.
Historically, the cross weave or two needle technique, has been used in native bead work, as far back as the 1600’s.
The development of the single needle technique is credited to David Chatt and it is thought to be one reason why the technique is so popular today.
Seed beads, fire polished beads and crystal beads are common bead choices in pieces using right-angle weave.
The stitch is easily combined with other techniques to create unique and complex bead work.
In the next post, we will begin with Right Angle Weave basics. I will be using bugle beads and seed beads so that you can clearly see the stitch structure and the thread path If you are new to the technique, you may want to have some bugle beads on hand.