INSTRUCTIONS FOR BEADING
BASIC SQUARE STITCH
STARTING
Cut your thread as long as you can manage it and thread your
needle. Tie a stopper bead onto the tail end of the thread. Do not
knot, as this bead will be removed later. Its purpose is to stop your
beads falling off the thread. Leave a tail of at least 10cm (4 inches),
this will be woven into the beading later.
FIRST ROW
Following the pattern string up the first row of beads from the
bottom to the top as shown in Diagram 1.
SECOND ROW
(Right handers work clockwise, left
handers work anti-clockwise). The
second row will be your hardest row as
you are attaching beads to beads that can
slide about. Use your stopper bead to
adjust the tension when working this
row.
Following the colours in the pattern, pick
up one bead. Leave it on your needle and
pass the needle from the bottom to the
top of the last bead and then back down
from the top to the bottom of the new
bead as shown in Diagram 2b.
Pick up another bead and attach it to
the adjacent bead in the previous
column. Pass the needle from bottom
to top through the bead and then top
to bottom through the new bead.
Repeat this step to the end of the row.
Diagram 2d shows the second row
completed.
THIRD ROW
There are three methods you can use to work the third row.
Method A
Working the third row in reverse.
Pros
• It is much easier to follow your chart as you don’t have
to turn your work.
• The beading is stretchy and drapes, suitable for pictures,
amulet bags, clothing and fitting over items.
Cons
• It is hard to get a perfect tension and therefore your
work may be distorted.
Method B
Turn your work so you are always working from the top
down.
Pros
• It’s easier to achieve a perfect tension.
• The beading is stretchy and drapes, suitable for pictures,
amulet bags, clothing and fitting over items.
• It’s easy for symmetrical designs. (one half of the pattern
is a mirror image).
Cons
• It is harder to read the chart as every second row is upside down. You have to read the
chart from the bottom up while working from the top down. It may be easier to turn your
chart upside down too or, as Jill Oxton does, tie a piece of coloured thread onto the ‘back’
of the beading and mark every second column of the chart with a small dot to correspond.
This makes it easier to remember to read the chart from the bottom up.
Method C
Running the thread back up through the previous row and
working from the top down.
Pros
• This is one of the stronger methods.
• It is easy to follow your chart.
• It is ideal for narrow firm/rigid pieces such as belts and
bracelets.
Cons
• There will be distortion or buckling with larger pieces if
you don’t pull the thread back up through the previous
row at exactly the same tension each time.
• It causes extra thread to build up inside the beads.
• The thread along the outside edge is a little more noticeable.
• It tightens up the columns but not the rows, and this can further distort a design.
FINISHING OFF
The blue lines show finishing off the thread and the black
lines show starting a new thread. You will need to weave
in and out of at least five beads to secure the thread.
Avoid starting and finishing on the edges as this is where
the thread builds up the quickest.
Jill Oxton © 2006 – Used by Permission
www.stitchcraft.info
