Readers Share: A Bounty of Brick Stitch Projects!
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I've got a soft spot for brick stitch. It was the first beading stitch that I taught myself that I actually understood, and for a while, I made all of my amulet bags with brick stitch instead of peyote! Even after I learned how to love peyote stitch, I still found myself coming back to brick stitch for the way it can be used to create simple shapes, elegant curves and dramatic drops in my beading designs. Those lovely points in my Back to Byzantium necklace were created with brick stitch!
Because brick stitch is still one of my go-to beading stitches, I decided to ask our Facebook fans to show me what they can do with brick stitch. I was thrilled with what you all sent in — sculptures, beaded jewelry and beaded accessories, all made with brick stitch! Here are five of my favorites:
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Using brick stitch is a fabulous way to embellish other beading components, like in this gorgeous necklace by Paula Meyncke. Paula constructed this necklace using three shell donuts joined and embellished with brick stitch, and then attached them to an antique-finish chain. Just a few rows of brick stitch is all you really need to enhance an already-beautiful natural beading component!
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I loved these brick stitch earrings by Jane-Michael Stallings. Like Paula's necklace, the brick stitch is worked around a form. I happened to find a few of those large disco-ball-like Swarovski round beads while I was shopping at Whimbeads in Tucson back in February, and I'd been wondering what to do with them. Jane-Michael's earrings are great inspiration! Jane-Michael said that she learned brick stitch ten years ago, and it still serves her well. She's even got a photo gallery of all her brick stitch projects on her Facebook page! |
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I just love dragons, so I totally fell for this two-headed dragon named "Torvo", made by Desiree Ranger Cook. Made from a combination of beading stitches over an armature (which included brick stitch wings), this is a free-standing beaded sculpture. You can see more of Desiree's beautiful and fantastical beaded dragons on her website, Jewel Tones. |
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If this brick stitch bracelet looks a little familiar to you, it should. Laura Zeiner will be teaching this technique at Bead Fest Spring and Philadelphia (in August) this year as her Enchanted Evenings necklace! This version of Enchanted Evenings is a little edgier, using carved bone skulls as the center points of her brick stitch circles. If you can't make it to Bead Fest, you can find Laura's tutorials and kits in her Etsy shop, Stick Lizard Designs. |
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While she doesn't do a lot with brick stitch, Kassie Inman shared this beaded watchband with me. The beaded watchband was to be given as a gift, and it turned into an exercise in problem-solving: since the recipient had a metal allergy, Kassie had to figure out how to attach the watch face to the band so that the metal didn't touch the wearer's skin but would still allow the battery compartment to be opened. In the end, she attached a snap to the back of one of the brick stitch triangles so that it could be removed. Brilliant!
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Have you made anything with brick stitch lately? Switching to a new or seldom-used beading stitch is a great way to shake things up a bit with your beading! Take advantage of the special sale on back issues going on now and save 50% on both digital and print back issues of Beadwork magazine! You'll get pages and pages of gorgeous beading projects from your favorite designers, hints and tips from the pros, and step-by-step instructions. Fill in the gaps in your Beadwork magazine collection and get busy beading!
Let's talk about brick stitch! Do you have a brick stitch-related tip or question for us? Leave a comment and share your thoughts, tips and hints here on the Beading Daily blog!
Bead Happy,
Jennifer
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