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Making Square Stitch Samples Part I Beadwork September/October 2000 Return to Sampler Main Page I have eliminated the Navigation Bar on this page so that you can make your own personal copy. Just return to the Main Sampler Page to move around Beadwrangler's. |
Square stitch is a very strong stitch and once stitched, difficult to take apart. The 1 bead method imitates the loom woven bead appearance. Square Stitch can be worked with more than one bead added in each stitch, with different methods and result in various shapes. |
For These Samplers use single thread, approximately 40" long as a working thread leaving a 5" tail to stitch back in at the beginning of each sample. There are three bead colors used in both type samples, changing with each round or row. Stitch in loose thread and cut off the excess.
Vertical Square Stitch: Begin with 32 strung beads and add 1 bead at a time to make the stitch. When running out of thread, finish at the end of a row so you do not have cut off threads in the middle of the sampler. To begin a new row, take the needle from one end to the other through the last row to the last stitch worked. Cut the tail thread when enough stitches are worked to keep the thread taut.
Flat Circular Square Stitch: Do not pull thread taut for circular square stitch. Instead, gently pull the thread through after placing a bead. This stitch begins with 6 beads in a circle and forming a knot to keep the beads together. Beads are looped around each original 6 beads. When the 6th bead of this round is looped with another bead(s), take the thread through all the looped beads in the 2nd round to keep them together. Each round will have beads looped around beads of the last round and the needle then taken through all the looped beads added. When the thread runs out, stitch back through the last round, cut off the loose thread and take new thread through that previous round until it does not come loose; do not pull taut through the rounds. Continue from the last bead stitched on. Each time a round is finished, the needle is actually setting in the previous round. Take the needle through a few more beads of that round before working through all the beads just looped on. This staggers the needle placement in each round and all the increases are not at the same place. The Czech and Delica bead formula start the same from round 1 through 5 and then rounds 6 through 10 are different for each due to the bead sizes. Cull the beads, even Delicas, and colors 1 - 3 should be fairly uniform in shape to work. After the first 2 rounds, each round will have 2 beads on 1 bead and 1 bead on each of the next 1 to 9 beads, this will be repeated for the whole round. In some instances, the rounds are not even and will be listed as "end with" and the type of stitches added to finish off that round.
Materials
Notions
Square Stitch is also called Box Stitch, Circular Loop, Loom Weaving Without A Loom.
Czech Vertical Square Stitch |
Vertical Square Stitch,
Czech and Delica Beads worked in Rows18
rows across and 32 beads down. String 32 beads, color 1, row 1. Push the beads down the
thread leaving a 5 tail. String 1 bead, color 2. Take the needle past the color 2
bead and down through the color 1 bead strung above it, pull the thread taut. The color 2
bead now sets next to the last color 1 bead. (See figure 1)
Take the needle back through the color 2 bead. String 1 color 2 bead, take the needle through the next strung color 1 bead, then bring the needle across and through the 2nd color 2 bead you put on. (See figure 2) String 1 color 2 bead, take the needle through the next color 1 bead, then across and through the color 2 bead and repeat the process. At the end of the 2nd row, string 1 color 3 bead and take the needle through the last color 2 bead the thread is coming from. Take the needle back down through the color 3 bead, repeat the process, alternate bead colors 1, 2 and 3 in the rows, finishing with color 2 on the last row. When finished, take the needle and thread through all 18 rows for added strength. Tip: Alternative - add 2 beads at a time and stitch them to the 2 beads in the last row. The sample will not be as strong as the 1 bead method and will not imitate loom woven beads which have a weft thread between each row of beads. The 2 bead method is faster, easier, creates a softer, draping appearance that feels good to the touch. Use the 1 bead method to add to beadwork previously woven on a loom. |
![]() Figure 1 |
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Delica Vertical Square Stitch |
![]() Figure 2 |
Czech Circular Flat Square Stitch |
Circular Flat Square Stitch,
Czech and Delica worked in Rounds 10
rounds, increasing in each round. Rounds are listed with "2 on 1," meaning 2
beads looped around 1 bead, then "1 on 1 in each next 2 stitches" meaning 1 bead on 1 bead and
number of stitches; these stitches are repeated for as many complete sets as possible, and
"end with" is what you do with the last stitches that do not make a complete
repetitive stitch group.
Both Czech and Delica beads, worked in rounds 1 through 5
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Delica Circular Flat Square Stitch |
Flat Circular, Czech beads,
worked in rounds 6-10
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Flat Circular, Delica Beads,
worked in rounds 6-10
Alternative to rounds 9 and 10 of Flat Circular, Delica beads
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Resources For Square Stitch Elbe, Barbara E., Amulet Obsession, Redding, CA, B.E.E. Publishing, 1998, pgs. 65-68 Dudrant,Judith and Campbell Jean, Beaders Companion, Loveland, CO, Interweave Press, 1998, pg.34 Wilcox Wells, Carol, Creative Bead Weaving, Asheville, NC, Lark Books, 1996, pgs. 82-87 Moss, Kathlyn, and Scherer, Alice, The New Beadwork, New York, Harry B,. Abrams, Inc., 1992, pg. 99 Linda Punzel, Fantasy Beading, Ft. Worth, Texas, Suzanne McNeill Design Originals, 1993 Beadwranglers website, www.beadwrangler.com, circular loop basket workshops |