Brick Stitch

Brick StitchBy Alice KorachBrick stitch looks like peyote stitch worked sideways. In other words, the starting and ending edges are straight but the sides are jagged. However, unlike peyote stitch where you sew the new beads to the previous beads, in brick stitch, you sew the new beads to the loops of thread between the beads of the previous row. You can usually work any peyote or brick stitch pattern with the other stitch by rotating the pattern 90 degrees. Normally, one starts brick stitch with a ladder of seed or bugle beads. After completing and reinforcing the ladder, you start working normal brick stitch.For Current Issue Pages Only

Ladder1. Pick up 2 beads, leaving a thread tail of at least 4 in. (10cm). Go through both beads again in the same order as if you were making a ring. Then adjust the beads so they are side by side. The needle exits bead #2 and points down (figure 1). 2. Pick up 1 new bead (#3) and sew back through the previous bead in the same direction that you went through it before (down). Sew through the new bead in the opposite direction (up) and tighten the thread so the beads are side by side and the holes are at the top and bottom (figure 2).

3. 3. Pick up the next bead (#4) and sew back through the previous bead in the same direction as before (up). Sew through the new bead in the opposite direction (down) and tighten the thread so the beads are side by side (figure 3).

4. Add the required number of beads in the same manner as steps 2 and 3. End with thehttp://www.beadbugle.com/html/brick_stitch.html (1 of 4)14/1/2006 10:29:35

Brick Stitch

needle coming out the last new bead (figure 4).

5. Reinforce the ladder to straighten and strengthen it by sewing up and down through each stitch back to the first bead. The working thread and tail exit opposite sides of the first bead (figure 5).

Note: To work a 2-bead ladder, pick up 2 beads for each stitch and treat each pair of beads as a single bead.

Brick stitch1. To start brick stitch so no thread shows on the edge, pick up 2 beads. Skip the loop of thread between the first 2 beads on the row below and sew under the loop between beads #2 and #3 from back to front (figure 6, a-b).

2. Sew through the two new beads second bead first (figure 6, b-c). 3. Sew back through the second bead with the needle pointing toward the first bead. Then tighten the thread and jiggle it so the 2 beads are side by side and their holes are up and down (figure 6,http://www.beadbugle.com/html/brick_stitch.html (2 of 4)14/1/2006 10:29:35

Brick Stitch

c-d). 4. Add the remaining beads of the row one at a time. Pick up a bead, sew under the thread loop between the next 2 beads from back to front. Then sew back through the new bead toward the previous new bead. In other words, go through the bead from the side that the thread exits (figure 7, a-b).

5. Repeat step 4 to attach a bead to each thread loop on the previous row (figure 7, b-c). Note: in normal brick stitch, each row will have one less bead than the row below it.

6. Start the next row as in steps 1-3 (figure 8 , ab) and complete it as in steps 4-5 (figure 8, bc). Note: if the last row of the pattern has 2 beads, work it as in steps 1-3 (figure 8, d-e).

7. To add brick stitch rows on the other side of the ladder, sew diagonally down through all the beads along one edge to exit the edge ladder bead (figure 9). Turn the piece over and brick stitch the remaining pattern as in steps 1-6. Note: Just as you can work a 2-bead ladder, you can also work 2-bead brick stitch. Instead of picking up one bead per stitch, pick up 2 and keep the thread snug enough to hold the beads in a stack.

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