Chapter 8 Brick Stitch

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INTRODUCTION TO BRICK STITCH

The Brick stitch is a very beautiful and majestic stitch. It is very versatile and a favorite of many beaders. You can make a diamond-shaped earring if you use either all seed beads or all bugle beads. Another option is the triangle shape which usually works best when seed beads and bugle beads are both used and a fringe is added at the bottom row. Fringes can be very elaborate and you can incorporate some really nice designs with your fringe. Detailed fringe techniques are covered in Chapter Two.

IMPORTANT NOTE: There are different techniques for creating the Brick stitch. This is only one of them and it is probably not the best, but it is the only one that we know the instructions for. We have heard that there is a method which hides the thread within the finished stitch better.

Alternate names for this stitch include: Brick-Laying, Comanche Stitch

STEP 1

Thread the needle with about two feet (two-thirds of a meter) of thread. Pick up a bugle bead on the needle. Pull the bead down the thread, leaving six to eight inches of thread as a tail. Now pass the needle through the bead again going in the same direction. Try not to split the thread as it will be removed later.

See Starting in Chapter One for detailed explanations of this process.

Figure 8.1

STEP 2

Pick up a second bugle bead on the needle. Let it drop down to the first bead.

Figure 8.2

STEP 3

Pass the needle back up through the first bugle bead as shown.

Figure 8.3

STEP 4

The two bugle beads now lay side by side.

Figure 8.4

STEP 5

Pick up the third bugle bead on the needle.

Figure 8.5

STEP 6

Pass the needle back through the first bead as shown. The thread is now emerging from the middle bead.

Figure 8.6

STEP 7

Pass the needle back through the third bead and pull the thread tight.

Figure 8.7

STEP 8

Pick up the fourth bugle bead on the needle.

Figure 8.8

STEP 9

Pass the needle back through the third bugle bead as shown.

Figure 8.9

STEP 10

Pass the needle back through the fourth bead and pull the thread tight.

Figure 8.10

STEP 11

Pick up the fifth bugle bead on the needle.

Figure 8.11

STEP 12

Pass the needle back through the fourth bugle bead.

Figure 8.12

STEP 13

Pass the needle back through the fifth bugle bead and pull the thread tight.

Figure 8.13

STEP 14

Pick up the sixth bugle bead on the needle.

Figure 8.14

STEP 15

Pass the needle back through the fifth bugle bead.

Figure 8.15

STEP 16

Pass the needle back through the sixth bugle bead and pull the thread tight.

Figure 8.16

STEP 17

Pick up the seventh bugle bead on the needle.

Figure 8.17

STEP 18

Pass the needle back through the sixth bugle bead.

Figure 8.18

STEP 19

Pass the needle back through the seventh bead and pull the thread tight. You are now ready to start the next section.

Figure 8.19

STEP 20

Pick up a small seed bead (#8) on the needle.

Figure 8.20

STEP 21

Pass the needle under the thread going between the last two bugle beads (#6 and #7) and pull the thread tight. The seed bead now lies on top of the two bugle beads.

Figure 8.21

STEP 22

Now pass the needle back through the seed bead going in the opposite direction so that a loop is formed around the thread going between the two bugle beads.

Figure 8.22

STEP 23

The first seed bead (#8) should now lie flat on top of the two bugle beads. Pick up another small seed bead (#9).

Figure 8.23

STEP 24

Pass the needle under the thread going between the next two bugle beads (#5 and #6) and pull the thread tight.

Figure 8.24

STEP 25

Pass the needle back through the second seed bead (#9) going in the opposite direction forming a loop around the thread (as in Step 22).

Figure 8.25

STEP 26

Repeat steps 23 through 25 four more times for a total of six seed beads in the first row of seed beads.

Figure 8.26

STEP 27

Pick up another seed bead (#14) to begin the next row of seed beads.

Figure 8.27

STEP 28

Pass the needle backPass the needle under the thread going between the last two seed beads (#12 and #13) in the first row of seed beads and pull the thread tight. through the fourth bead and pull the thread tight.

Figure 8.28

STEP 29

Pass the needle back through seed bead #14 going in the opposite direction and forming a loop around the thread going between seed beads #12 and #13.

Figure 8.29

STEP 30

Repeat steps 27 through 29 four more times to complete the second row of seed beads. The thread now emerges from bead #18 in an upward direction.

Figure 8.30

STEP 31

You are now ready to begin the third row of seed beads. Keep repeating steps 27 through 29, adding rows with one less bead each time until there are only two beads in the row.

Figure 8.31

STEP 32

When the fifth row of seed beads consisting of two beads (#26 and #27) is completed, pick up six to eight seed beads on the needle (#28 through #33, #34 or #35, depending on how many beads you decide to use).

Figure 8.32

STEP 33

Now pass the needle downward through bead #26 and pull the thread tight.

Figure 8.33

STEP 34

Continue in this manner passing the needle through beads #25, #19, #18, #8 and #7 as shown below. Pull the thread tight after every bead.

Figure 8.34

FINISH

You have now completed the basic Brick stitch, but there is finish work yet to do.

At this point you may want to work the thread emerging from bead #1 back into the piece using the zig-zag method described in the Finishing section of Chapter One.

It is usual for the Brick stitch to add some fringe to the bottom row. Many different fringe possibilities are explained in Chapter Two.

There is another option besides fringe. You may form a diamond shape by going on to Step 35.

STEP 35

To form a diamond shape, the beads must be either all bugle beads or all seed beads. It doesn’t look right if you try to mix them. The example shown here uses all seed beads. Turn the work upside-down so that bead #7 is at the right side with the thread going upward from the top. Now go back and repeat steps 20 through 31. When you are finished, the work should look like the example shown in figure 8.35. The beads with no numbers represent that portion of the stitch which has already been completed. The numbered beads correspond with the bead numbers in steps 20 through 31. You are almost done.

Figure 8.35

STEP 36

Now pick up one more seed bead (#28) and pass the needle downward through seed bead #26 as shown. Pull the thread tight.

Figure 8.36

STEP 37

Continue in this manner passing the needle downward through beads #25, #19, #18, #8 and #7 as shown in Figure 8.37. Pull the thread tight after every bead. When you have finished this last step, work the remaining thread back into the piece using the zig-zag method described in the Finishing section of Chapter One.

Figure 8.37

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