Beads
New design: Square stitch
a neat grid, no loom needed ✿
Row 1 is at the top. Each bead is stitched to the bead directly beside it in the row before, so beads line up in straight rows and columns. Tap a row number to pick that row.
Add or remove at the top or left edge instead
Estimated size: about 1.3 cm wide and 1.9 cm long. Worked out from the bead size, so treat it as a guide and measure a small sample.
finished look · a sketch, not to scale
place a few beads and they'll show up here ✿
Stitching details for when you're ready to stitch
Square stitch is worked with a needle and thread, one bead at a time. There is no loom and there are no warp threads, even though the chart looks like loom work.
Empty squares are simply gaps in the colour chart. If your shape has rows that stick out past the row before, write down how you'll add those beads, because the chart doesn't show it.
Square stitch, step by step
Square stitch is worked with one needle and thread. Every new bead is sewn to the bead directly under it, so the beads end up in a straight grid.
bead added in this stepalready in placestopper bead
1String the first row. Put on a stopper bead (go through it twice so it stays put), then string every bead of row 1. Here the row is five beads.
2Start row 2 with one bead. Pick up the first bead of row 2 and let it sit on top of the last bead of row 1.
3Sew it to the bead below. Go through the bead underneath it, in the same direction you went the first time, then back through the new bead. The thread makes a small loop that holds the two beads together.
4Add the next bead the same way. Pick up one bead, go through the bead under it, then back through the new bead. One bead, one loop, every time.
5Finish the row. Carry on to the end of the row. Each bead of row 2 now sits squarely above a bead of row 1.
6Turn and start row 3. Row 3 starts above the bead you just finished and is worked back the other way, with exactly the same steps.
Good to know
- If the rows feel loose, run the thread once through the whole of the row before and the row you just finished. That straightens and firms them.
- You can turn the work over at the end of a row so you always stitch in the direction that is comfortable for you.
- Keep an even pull: snug enough that no thread shows, loose enough that the piece still bends.
This shows how the stitch works in general. It is not a thread path for any particular design.