BRICK STITCH

Beaded
crosses
Make a matching set of earrings
and a pretty pendant.

designed by Richard Eivins

FCT-SC-082817-03

©2016 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be

reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. facetjewelry.com
 Difficulty rating
4 mm fire-polished bead

110 seed bead, color A b c

Materials
110 seed bead, color B earrings 11 ⁄16 x 7 ⁄8 in. (2.7 x 2.2 cm)
• 2 4 mm fire-polished beads (pale blue)
110 seed bead, color C knot a • 110 seed beads (Preciosa)
-- 1 g color A (silver-lined gold)
FIGURE 1 -- 1 g color B (black)
6 mm fire-polished bead -- 1 g color C (matte transparent blue)
• Fireline, 6 lb. test
• beading needles, #12
• 1 pair of earring findings
• 2 pairs of chainnose, flatnose, and/or
e
b bentnose pliers
d
Earrings
1 On 1 yd. (.9 m) of thread, pick up a pendant 15 ⁄8 x 13 ⁄8 in. (4.1 x 3.5 cm)
c
a 4 mm fire-polished bead. Leaving • 1 6 mm fire-polished bead (pale blue)
a 6-in. (15 cm) tail, sew through the • 110 seed beads (Preciosa)
4 mm again, creating a thread bridge -- 1 g color A (silver-lined gold)
along one side of the bead (figure 1, -- 1 g color B (black)
a–b). Repeat this stitch, tying a square FIGURE 2 -- 1 g color C (matte transparent blue)
knot with the working thread and tail
before sewing through the 4 mm, to add necklace 211 ⁄2 in. (54.6 cm)
a second thread bridge (b–c). Pull the • 110 seed beads (Preciosa)
knot into the 4 mm, and end the tail. -- 6 g color A (silver-lined gold)
2 Working in brick stitch, pick up two -- 2 g color B (black)
color A 110 seed beads, sew under d e f -- 1 g color C (matte transparent blue)
the thread bridge, and continue • 1 clasp
back through the last A picked up c b
(figure 2, a–b).
3 Pick up an A, sew under the thread a Richard Eivins loves designing
bridge, and continue back through beaded items and seeing
the A just picked up (b–c). Repeat this the enjoyment it brings others.
stitch five times for a total of eight As
encircling the 4 mm (c–d).
4 Sew through the first A picked up in
the ring, under the thread bridge, and
continue through the second A added FIGURE 3
(d–e). These two beads will be row 1
for the top section of the cross.
5 Work in brick stitch for row 2 of the top in the previous row, and sew back up
section as follows: Pick up an A and a through the B just added (c–d).
color B 110 seed bead, sew under the Regular stitch: Pick up a B, sew under
thread bridge between the two beads the next thread bridge in the previous
in row 1, and sew back up through the row, and sew back up through the B just
B just added (figure 3, a–b). Pick up an added (d–e).
A, sew under the thread bridge in row 1, Increase end stitch: Pick up an A, sew
and sew back up through the A just under the same thread bridge as in
added (b–c). the previous stitch, and sew back up
6 Work row 3 of the top section as fol- through the A just added (e–f).
lows, noting the different terms for each 7 Continue to work in rows as follows:
kind of stitch: Row 4: Increase start stitch using an A
Increase start stitch: Pick up an A and and a B; one regular stitch using a color
a B, sew under the last thread bridge C 110 seed bead; one regular stitch
 c
using a B; increase end stitch using
b an A (figure 4, a–b).
Row 5: Decrease start stitch: Pick up
a an A and a B, sew under the second-to-
last thread bridge in the previous row,
and sew back up through the B just
added. Sew through both beads to
align them (not shown in the figure for
clarity), and exit the B. Work one regular
stitch using a B and one stitch using
an A (b–c).
8 Sew through the next two Bs in the
FIGURE 4 last row (figure 5, a–b). Pick up five As,
and sew back through the first A just
picked up and under the adjacent
thread bridge, centering the loop
between the two Bs. Sew back through
the five As again to reinforce the loop
(b–c). Sew through the beadwork to exit
the next A in the ring to be in position to
start the left section of the cross (c–d).
b
c a This A and the adjacent A in the ring
will be row 1 of the left section.
9 Repeat steps 5–7 to add the left
section (d–e).
10 To make a point at the tip of this
section, sew under the thread bridge
between the two center Bs in the last
e row (e–f). Pick up an A, and sew under
f d
the same thread bridge (f–g) and back
through the A. Sew under the same
g thread bridge, and then continue
l
h through the beadwork to exit the next
A in the ring to be in position to start the
bottom section of the cross (g–h). This A
i
j and the adjacent A in the ring will be
row 1 of the bottom section.
11 Work the bottom section as follows:
Row 2: Work as in step 5 (h–i).
Row 3: Work a decrease stitch with
two As (i–j).
Rows 4–8: Repeat steps 5–7 (j–k) and
k
then repeat step 10 (k–l), exiting the
next A in the ring to be in position to
FIGURE 5 add the right section of the cross.
12 Repeat steps 5–7 and 10 to add the
right section, and end the thread.
13 Open the loop on the earring find-
ings, and attach it to the top loop of As.
14 Make a second earring.

Pendant
Work as in “Earrings” with the following
changes:
• In step 1, pick up a 6 mm fire-polished
bead instead of a 4 mm.
 a

b c

FIGURE 7

FIGURE 6

• In step 3, add 10 As in the ring instead and position them in pairs to sit the desired length, ending with an
of eight. with the holes parallel to each other odd number of units. You will switch
• When adding the sides of the pen- (figure 7, a–b). between working clockwise and
dant, you will be attaching them to 2 Pick up eight As, and sew through counter-clockwise with each unit.
three side beads in the ring instead the A adjacent to the A your thread End and add thread as needed.
of two (figure 6). exited at the start of this step to form 6 Pick up two As, the loop of a clasp,
• Work the remainder of the pendant a ring (b–c). and two As, and sew through the last
following the pattern in figure 6, but 3 Pick up a B, a C, and a B, skip four two As your thread exited at the start
do not create a loop of As at the top — As in the ring, and sew through the of the step. Retrace the thread path,
add a point as in step 10 instead. next A, going in the same direction and end the working thread. Repeat
• Do not end the thread — instead, sew (c–d). This completed daisy chain this step using the tail.
through the beadwork to exit the top unit has three As on each side and 7 To join the pendant to the necklace,
point A of the cross, and set the working two As at each end. find the center unit on the neck chain.
thread aside. 4 Pick up two As, and sew through With the working thread from the pen-
the two adjacent end As and the two dant, sew through the middle A on
Daisy chain necklace As picked up in this step (d–e). The two one side of the unit. Sew back through
1 On a comfortable length of thread, new As are the starting end As of the the tip A of the pendant, retrace the
pick up four As, leaving an 8-in. (20 cm) next daisy chain unit. thread path several times, and end
tail. Sew through all the beads again, 5 Repeat steps 2–4 (e–f) until you reach the threads. w