SQUARE STITCH “Abacus” Bracelet
Instructor: Warren Feld
Square Stitch
Beginner Level
CBJA-BW1-SQU-01
A fun way to learn square stitch basics, as you play with positive and negative spaces within your bracelet
SUPPLIES (to make a 6 ½ to 7” bracelet)
COLOR A: 3mm Cube Seed Bead (184 beads or 11 grams) / Miyuki SB3-14F, transparent chartreuse matte
COLOR B: 8/0 Seed Bead (36 beads or 1 gram) / Miyuki 8/0-179, emerald ab
COLOR C: 6/0 Seed Bead (16 beads or 1.5 grams) / Miyuki 6/0-354, emerald ab
COLOR D: 3.4mm Mini Fringe Drop (120 beads or 6 grams) / Miyuki 3.4mm mini fringe drop, DBF-27, peach lined yellow
CLASP (1 clasp) / 6mm Disc Magnetic Clasp, Gold Plated
FireLine Cable Thread, Size D, .008” (50 yd spool) / FireLine, D, Smoke Gray, 50yd spool
Size #12 English beading needles (2 needles) / Size #12 English Beading needles (2 needles)
Bees Wax or Microcrystalline wax
Ruler
Bracelet Sizing Cone
Paper, Pencil
Scissors
Work Surface
Bic lighter or thread zapper
BASIC STEPS
Instructions to make a 7” bracelet with added explanation for steps to make the bracelet shorter or longer.
Section 1: Begin Square Stitch
Adding a Stop Bead
Section 2: Creating Negative Space, Partially Filled with 6/0 Seed Beads
Section 3: Creating Negative Space, Partially Filled with 8/0 Seed Beads
Running Our of Thread/Adding Thread/ Snagging Thread-Loop
Repeat…
Section 4: Test Bracelet Size
Section 5: Add Edging
Section 6: Attach Clasp
The Square Stitch is one of the better bead weaving stitches to begin with. It is a good stitch to give you a sense of how to hold your piece. It is a good stitch to get a feel for managing the tension of your thread, as you weave through your project. It is easy to create patterns and to read these patterns on a graph. The Square Stitch mimics the pattern of pieces done on a loom. The Square Stitch can utilize patterns developed for Loom, Cross Stitch or Knitting. Because each bead is woven together with the 3 beads around it, thus forming a square, it is very strong.
There is little concrete information about the Square Stitch prior to the early 1990's when it began showing up in instruction books. The Bead Society of Great Britain does have an earlier illustration of how-to-do the stitch, but no information in the organization of the stitch. Some people say it can be traced back to early African beadwork and some work dating back to the 15th century beadwork out of England.
The Square Stitch lends itself to uniform, square cut beads, such as cubes or delicas (cylinder beads). These will produce even, straight rows. With rounder beads, it is more difficult to maintain a tight thread tension. These rounder beads can often produce a slight curve to your piece, as well.
In this bracelet, we will be make a 6 ½” strip, with five starting and five ending rows of 3mm cube beads. When we add a clasp, this will make the bracelet fit comfortably around a 7” wrist. The instructions detail steps for making a bracelet for a 7” wrist.
To make a shorter bracelet, say for a 6” wrist, we would use fewer starting and ending rows. In this case, we would use two starting and two ending rows.
To make a longer bracelet, say for a 7 ½” wrist, we would add 3 more starting and ending rows, for a total of 8 rows each.
About Holding Your Piece
Your finger is an easel. Your thumb is a clamp. You work your piece over your finger, and your thumb keeps things in place.
With square stitch, you want to hold down the last existing beads you have just taken your needle through, and pull the new bead you are now adding down to your beadwork, until it is locked into place.
If you do not hold down on that last existing beads, the existing and the new bead will begin to pull away from your beadwork, as you tighten the thread. You can lose control here. This is not what we want to happen.
Section 1: Begin Square Stitch
Start with 6’-8’ (wing span) of thread. Waxing is optional.
Put on a stop bead.
How To Add A Stop Bead
Add a larger bead, in an obviously-different-color, and pull down towards the end of your thread that does not have the needle on it. Leave about an 8” tail. Using your needle, go in and out of the bead (thus, make a circle) 3 or 4 times. This should keep the bead fixed in place, but allow you to move it up and down, if you need to adjust your thread tension, particularly for the first row of beads you put on.
When you have completed your project, you slide the stop bead off. You then thread the tail onto a needle, and weave it back through the finished piece, in a zig-zag style, snagging a thread-loop and tying a knot, either once or twice on your pathway. Zig-zag into a few more beads after your last knot, before trimming off your tail.
Row 1:
The Square Stitch is a simple stitch to start. Whenever you begin a Square Stitch piece, first determine how many beads you will need per row. For our bracelet, there are 4 beads per row. This rectangle band will be made up primarily of 3mm cube beads. So, pick up four 3mm cube beads and bring them down your thread, all the way to your Stop Bead, leaving an 8" tail.
Row 2:
Pick up 1A, and square stitch.
So you will pick up one 3mm cube bead (this is the beginning of row 2), and go down through bead #4, then up through the new bead #5. You are now positioned to pick up bead #6.
Keep Going...
Now pick up bead #6, and go down through #3, back up to #6, and through #6, ready to add bead #7.
Repeat this process with beads #7 and #8.
NOTE: You will probably have to keep pushing your beads tightly together often, after adding each bead.
Make Reinforcing Circle
When you are finished with #8, we want to add two reinforcing pass-throughs.
NOTE: IT IS CRITICAL THAT YOU DO NOT FORGET TO ADD THESE TWO REINFORCING PASSES.
Bring your needle up through the entire first row, left to right, coming out bead #4. If you began with a Stop Bead, ignore this bead, when reinforcing your first row.
Then come up to Row 2, and bring your needle all the way through, right to left, coming out bead #8.
You are now positioned to begin Row 3.
Row 3:
We are now ready to add Row 3.
At this point, I flip the work around so that I'm working in the same direction.
So, pick up 1A and repeat steps you implemented to make Row 2.
You square stitch each bead, one by one.
Then you make two reinforcing passes – one through the previous row, and one through the current row.
You are now positioned to create Row 4.
Continue until you have made 5 rows of four 3mm cubes.
NOTE: After you have completed bead weaving your bracelet, you can remove the stop bead, and add additional rows, if you need the bracelet to be longer, or take apart some rows if you need the bracelet to be shorter.
Section 2: Creating Negative Space, Partially Filled with 6/0 Seed Beads
Diagram of this section
Row 6:
Pick up 1A, square stitch.
Pick up 1C (6/0 seed bead), square stitch
Pick up 1C, square stitch.
Pick up 1A, square stitch
Reinforce through Row 5 and back through Row 6.
Row 7:
Pick up 1A and square stitch.
Pass through the 2 6/0 seed beads in Row 6, and the cube bead in Row 6.
Pick up 1A and square stitch. You want your thread to exit the inside face of the bead.
Pass through two 6/0 seed beads in Row 6, and the cube in Row 7.
Row 8:
Pick up 1A, square stitch
Pick up 2C, and 1A, and square stitch that last bead, the new A to the existing A in Row 7 below it.
Make reinforcing passes:
(a) through Row 7 A, the two C beads in Row 6, and the next Row 7 A.
(b) back through the 4 beads in Row 8.
Rows 9-10:
Flip your piece to continue working in the same direction.
Add 2 more rows of 4A, as you did for Row 3.
Section 3: Creating Negative Space, Partially Filled with 8/0 Seed Beads
Row 11:
Your thread should be exiting the outside face of a 3mm cube (Row 10), positioned to start Row 11.
Again, we are going to change the pattern a bit.
Pick up 1A, square stitch.
Pick up 2B (8/0 seed beads), square stitch these to the 2nd cube in row 10, treating the 2B beads as one.
Pick up 1B, square stitch to the 3rd cube in Row 10>
Pick up 1A, and square stitch.
Make the 2 reinforcing passes.
Row 12:
Similar to Row 11, except we square stitch each bead individually for 5 square stitches in this row.
Row 13:
Pick up 1A, square stitch.
Pass through 3B and 1A in the previous row.
Pick up 1A, and square stitch.
Pass back through the 3B in the previous row, and the 1A in the current row (this A stands alone).
Row 14:
Pick up 1A, square stitch.
Pick up 3B and 1A, and square stitch the 1A to the Row 13 A under it.
Pass back through the A in Row 13, the 3B in Row 12, and the other A in Row 13.
Return through Row 14 – all 5 beads.
You are now positioned to create Row 15.
Row 15:
Pick up 1A, square stitch
Pick up 1B, square stitch
Pick up 1B, square stitch
Pick up 1B, square stitch
Pick up 1A, square stitch
Make 2 reinforcing passes, through Row 14 and back through Row 15.
Row 16:
We want to create a 4A square stitched row.
Pick up 1A, square stitch.
Pick up 1A, square stitch through 2B (treated as one)
Pick up 1A, square stitch through 1B
Pick up 1A, square stitch.
Rows 17-20:
Add 4 more 4A square stitch rows.
Running out of thread – Adding Thread -- Finishing Off The End Of Your Thread
When it looks like there is about 12” of thread left, I start to plan to tie it off and begin
another thread, if I am not at the end of my project.
To tie off the old thread, I snag a thread-loop, tie an overhand knot, zig-zag through a few rows of beads, snag
another thread-loop and tie another knot, zig-zag through a few more rows, and trim the
tail of the thread.
To add a new thread, I start back a few rows. I go through 2-3 beads, then snag a thread-loop, tie a knot while
leaving an 8-10” tail, and zig-zag up to where I want the thread to come out, and continue
where I left off.
When I am finished with the project, I put a needle on the tail, and zigzag
it through some rows of beads, before cutting off the tail.
NEVER cut the thread at the point you have tied a knot.
How to SNAG A THREAD-LOOP
You will find thread-loops along each side of the piece, as well as
between each bead. You want to work your needle under the
thread. You DO NOT want your needle to pierce the thread,
because this will cause the thread to fray.
At this point, you can do one of two things.
Anchoring: One thing you can do, after you snag the thread-loop,
is tie an overhand knot around the thread, in order to anchor your
main thread to the piece.
Reversing Direction: Another thing you can do, after you snag the
thread-loop, is double back with your needle and thread, to reverse
direction on the same row.
Repeat…
Repeat our pattern, until you have reached the desired length.
For our 7” bracelet, our strip will be 6 ½”, and repeat the negative spaces with 6/0 seed beads four times, and the negative spaces with 8/0 seed beads three times.
Section 4: Test Bracelet Size
When you are finished, you can remove or add rows at each end, to adjust for the length.
Or you can add a larger or smaller clasp, to adjust for the length.
After you remove the stop bead, thread the tail onto a needle, snag a thread loop, and zig zag through several beads, before trimming thread.
Section 5: Add Edging
With the square stitch, the threads will show along the sides. Sometimes this makes the piece look unfinished. If this is the case, one thing we can do is add some kind of edging.
Here we are going to add a simple drop bead edging.
Cut off a 6’ – 8’ length of cable thread. Waxing is optional.
Anchor your thread to thread loop between 1st and 2nd beads in your first bracelet row, and exit the outer face of the first bead in that row.
Pick up 1D (3.4mm mini fringe drop).
Return through Row 1.
Pick up another 1D.
Return through Row 1, but not through drop bead.
Move down to and through Row 2
Pick up 1D.
Return through Row 2.
Pick up 1D, and return back through Row 2.
Move down to and through Row 3.
And so forth.
When you are at a point where you need to cross over a “negative space”, you do not want your thread to show in that negative space. So you will need to return through the 8/0 or 6/0 beads either in the previous row or the following row.
NOTE: Play close attention to which cube beads you are exiting and entering, when altering your pathway to avoid the negative space.
When you have finished adding drop beads as edging, snag a thread loop, tie a knot, maneuver through a few beads, and trim your thread.
Trim your tail thread, as well.
Section 6: Attach Clasp
Two things I prefer to do up-front when attaching any kind of clasp:
(1) Always begin with a new thread.
This makes your bracelet more durable. This also makes it easier to detach the clasp parts, should you need to make adjustments to the size of your bracelet.