Bead stitch tutorials, one thread pass at a time

Each animation shows exactly where the needle goes: which beads to pick up, which to skip, and which thread to catch. Pause it, step back, slow it down, then try it with real beads.

Loom weaving · the quickest start

How to weave a bead loom bracelet

On a loom, each row is strung in one go and locked in place by two passes of the working thread: once under the warp threads and once over them. It is the quickest way to turn a chart into a band, and the chart reads exactly as you weave it.

You will need: A bead loom · Nylon beading thread · A size 10 or 12 beading needle · Delica 11/0 cylinder beads

Step 1 of 7

Warp the loom. String one more warp thread than there are beads across: eight warps for a band seven beads wide. Space them a bead apart and keep them evenly tight.

Tie on the weft. Tie a long working thread, the weft, to the outer warp on the left, leaving a 15 cm tail to weave in at the end.

Pick up the first row. Thread the needle and pick up the beads for row 1 in chart order, reading left to right. Let them slide down the thread to the knot.

Push the row up between the warps. Bring the strung row under the warps and press it up from below, so that one warp sits in the gap between every two beads.

Pass back through, above the warps. Hold the beads in place and take the needle back through all of them from right to left, this time above the warps. The two passes trap each warp between them.

Weave the next rows. Pull snug, pick up row 2 and repeat: under the warps, press up, back over. Keep the tension even so the edges stay straight.

Finish the ends. Weave the tail back through two or three rows and trim it. Finish the warps by weaving them back in, or fold them under a slide clasp.

Tips

Condition or wax the thread so it does not tangle or fray.
Check each row from below before the second pass: a bead sitting on top of a warp will not lock in.
Leave long warps at both ends. You need them to finish the band.

Common mistakes

Making the second pass under the warps: the row drops out as soon as you lift the band. It has to go over.
Pulling too hard: the band narrows and curls. Too loose and the beads wobble.

Make one

Design a loom pattern Browse free loom bracelet patterns

Peyote stitch · even count

How to do even-count peyote stitch

Peyote builds a fabric by filling the gaps in the row before, one bead at a time. Every other bead sits half a bead higher, which is why peyote charts are drawn with offset columns, and why diagonals and chevrons look so smooth.

You will need: Nylon beading thread · A size 10 or 12 beading needle · Delica 11/0 beads in two or three colours · One contrasting stop bead

Step 1 of 5

Add a stop bead. Pick up a contrasting bead and pass through it twice so it holds near the end of the thread. It keeps the first rows from sliding off; you take it out later.

String rows 1 and 2. Pick up the beads for the first two rows together: an even number for even count, eight here. On a peyote chart these are the two bottom rows, read along the zigzag.

Row 3: pick up, skip, pass through. Pick up a bead, skip the last bead you strung and pass through the next one. Repeat to the end. The skipped beads drop down to become row 1; the beads you passed through rise to become row 2.

Row 4: step up through the “up” beads. Work back the other way. The beads you just added stick up like teeth: pick up a bead and pass through each “up” bead in turn.

Keep going, row by row. Every new row fills the gaps of the one before. Follow the offset columns of the chart and the pattern grows on the diagonal.

Tips

Count rows along a diagonal edge: each bead on the edge is two rows.
Pinch the first rows flat on the table after each row until the fabric holds its shape.
Odd count uses the same chart; only the turn at one edge changes.

Common mistakes

Passing through the bead you just added instead of the next “up” bead.
Losing track of the zigzag in the first three rows. Lay the work flat and look for the teeth.

Brick stitch · earrings and shapes

How to do brick stitch, starting from a ladder

Brick stitch hangs each new bead from the thread loops of the row below. The holes run up and down and each row sits half a bead along, like bricks in a wall. It decreases neatly, which is why it is the stitch for triangle and fringe earrings.

You will need: Nylon beading thread · A size 10 or 12 beading needle · Delica 11/0 beads · Jump rings and ear wires, for earrings

Step 1 of 6

Build a ladder. Ladder stitch the first row: pick up two beads, go back up through the first and down through the second so they sit side by side, then add one bead at a time the same way.

Go back through the ladder. Pass back through the whole ladder once more. Now every pair of beads is joined at the top and bottom by a small loop of thread, called a bridge.

Start row 2 with two beads. Exit the top of an end bead. Pick up two beads, pass the needle under the second bridge from back to front, and go back up through the second bead.

Add one bead at a time. Pick up one bead, pass under the next bridge and go back up through the bead. Each new bead sits over a gap, half a bead along.

Decrease to a point. Start each row one gap in and it comes out one bead shorter. Keep going and the piece tapers to a single bead.

Add an ear wire. Open a jump ring through the bridge or a small loop of beads at the top, then hang it from an ear wire.

Tips

Pull each bead snug before adding the next, so the row lies flat.
Choose a thread colour close to the edge beads: the bridges show between them.

Common mistakes

Catching the wrong bridge skips a gap and leaves a hole in the row.
Splitting the bridge with the needle. Slide under the thread, not through it.

Make one

Design a brick stitch pattern Browse free brick stitch earring patterns

Which stitch should you choose?

All three can make the same design; what changes is how the beads sit, what tools you need and how the finished piece moves.

	Loom	Peyote	Brick
How it is built	A whole row at a time, held between warp threads	One bead at a time, filling the gaps of the row before	One bead at a time, hung from the thread loops below
Bead holes	Across the band	Across the band	Up and down
Looks	A crisp square grid	Offset columns: smooth diagonals and chevrons	Offset rows, like bricks in a wall
Best for	Wide bands, pictures and lettering	Cuffs, tubes and fabric that drapes	Earrings, pendants and shaped pieces
You need	A bead loom	Only a needle and thread	Only a needle and thread
Ends to finish	Many warp threads	Two tails	Two tails

Every pattern in the editor can switch between the three under Advanced, and the chart guide explains how each layout is drawn.