Circular Stitches Create Versatile and Beautiful Beadwork

Beadwork, in general, comes in just a few basic forms: ropes, 3D shapes, strips, and circles. That means that when we settled on “circular stitches” for the theme of Beadwork magazine’s August/September 2020 issue, we had a LOT to work with. We ended up with five awesome designs that utilize different circular stitches.

Let’s start by defining what a circular stitch really is. Some stitches get the name “circular” in their name—which helps—but it’s not always easy to define. I consider a circular stitch anything that builds out from a central point, working around the outside edge in a circular fashion with more than one round, to build a (mostly) flat disc of beadwork. The two most common circular stitches are circular netting and circular peyote stitch.

Other circular stitches that have the key word “circular” in their name are circular brick stitch and circular square stitch. You can also work herringbone stitch into a circle by using a combination of herringbone and peyote stitches.

Beading Projects with Circular Stitches

Kim Leahy’s Tea & Croissants Bracelet is a great example of how to use circular stitches to create a strip of beadwork for a bracelet. Each component is worked in circular netting and joined to make a band. What I love especially about using circular stitches to create components is that matching pendants and earrings are always very easy to come up with: just use one of the components by itself. If you’re feeling frisky, you can work more passes of circular stitching around the outside to increase the visual impact of a component.

Akiko Nomura’s Ginkgo Mandala Necklace and Debora Hodoyer’s Dimensional Delight Pendant show how you can use circular stitches to build layer upon layer of intricate beadwork to create wonderful depth. I am a fan of beadwork that is “dressed to impress” with tiny beads and sparkly crystals—so these layered medallion pendants are right up my alley. This three-dimensional way of layering circular stitching is a great way to pack the details into something that isn’t overwhelming or gaudy.

Leslie Pope’s Playful Paisleys Necklace and Debora Hodoyer’s Pente Paisley Earrings use shaped beads and circular stitches to create something beautiful—lickety split. When multi-hole shaped beads hit the beading scene, it revolutionized the design process. Now you could fill up space with these larger beads and new thread paths were discovered and manipulated. It opened up a whole new world of possibilities that was a breath of fresh air for many bead weaving designers.

The “instant gratification” one gets from spending only an hour or two to stitch something from a pattern with shaped beads and circular stitches is very rewarding. That is the key to success in starting a new hobby!

Circular Stitch Love

The first bead weaving stitch I learned was circular peyote stitch with some Czech size 8° seed beads, taught to me by a coworker at the bead store we worked at in the mid-2000s. My nostalgia for that moment is part of why I love circular stitches so much, but the versatility and adaptability of circular stitching has kept me coming back for more.

Whether you like stitching components and connecting them into strips, layering beadwork into intricate medallions with incredible depth, or getting that instant gratification from using shaped beads with circular stitches—the August/September 2020 issue of Beadwork is your ticket to ride the circular stitch train!

Meredith Steele
Technical Editor, Beadwork