B

rick stitch is one of my favorite bead
stitches. When you first learn it, you
might think that all it’s good for is

triangular, fringed earrings. But that’s so
wrong. This fun amulet purse gains a lot of
textural interest by using two different sizes
of seed beads. A stack of two Japanese cylin-
der beads (I use Delicas) is almost exactly as
tall as one size 8

0 Japanese seed bead. So I

alternate pairs of cylinder beads with 8

0 seed

beads, using two tones of the same color to
get a woven fabric look.

step

by

step

Make two large triangles for the front and back
and sew them together. Then weave a triangle
off the top edge of the back for the flap. Finish
with a square-stitched or strung strap and
decorate the bottom point of the bag with a
beaded bead, fringe, or an accent bead.

bag front and back

Start with a 2-yd. (1.8m) length of waxed

or conditioned bead thread. Make a 25-bead
ladder, alternating an 8

0

seed bead and a pair

of cylinder beads (photo a and “Basics”).

Work decreasing brick stitch back and

forth, placing one less bead on each row. The
last row will have one 8

0

and a pair of

cylinder beads (photo b). Notice that one side
of the beaded triangle will always begin with

an 8

0

and the other will alternate between an

8

0

and a pair of cylinder beads.

Make an identical triangle but start the

ladder with a pair of cylinder beads rather
than an 8

0

. On this piece one side will have all

cylinder beads and the other side will alter-
nate bead types.

B e a d

&

B u t t o n • D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 2

2

Three-sided amulet

Brick stitch a triangular purse

by Stephanie Trice

a

b

Place the trian-

gles together with the
ladder sides up and
the side with all 8

0

beads against the side
with all cylinder
beads. Weave a 1

1

⁄

2

-

yd. (1.4m) length of
thread into the bead-
work, exiting a bead
or bead pair at the
top of one side
toward the ladder
(photo c).

Sew the first side

seam together by square stitching
through the matching 8

0

bead and cylin-

der pair on the two pieces (figure).

When you’ve joined the last beads

on the first side, switch direction and
sew up the adjacent bottom bead

(photo d). Resume square stitching the
other side seam.

flap

Weave a new 2-yd. thread into the

beadwork on the back side of the bag,
Exit the second bead on the left-hand
side (a pair of cylinder beads). This is
the side where the beads alternate. Brick
stitch a total of 22 beads (alternate 8

0

s

and cylinder pairs) along the top of the
back. Start with an 8

0

bead, the reverse

of the bead you’re exiting (photo e).

Work back and forth across the flap

triangle until three beads remain. All the
beads on the starting edge of the flap
will be 8

0

s and the beads on the other

edge will alternate. Weave the thread in
to the beadwork to end it.

strap

Weave a new 2-yd. thread into the

beadwork and exit the last bead on
either the front or the back column of
one of the side seams (photo f). String
an alternating pattern of 8

0

s and pairs of

cylinder beads, starting with the kind of
bead opposite the type you exited. Make
the strand the desired length for one
side of the strap.

Square stitch back down the strap to

the purse, attaching the opposite bead
or group (photo g and “Basics”).

When you’ve added the last bead,

sew down into the seam beads below it
then up the starting side seam beads and
the original strand.

Attach one clasp half to the end by

sewing through its loop and the end
beads several times (photo h). End the
thread back down in the strap. Tie a few
half hitches between beads (see
“Basics”) before cutting the thread.

Repeat steps 1-4 on the other side.

optional dangle

Weave a new doubled thread that is

about 18-in. (46cm) long into the beads
near the bottom of the bag. Exit one of
the two beads on the bottom front.

String an 8

0

bead, the accent bead,

and an 8

0

bead. String a combination of

cylinder and seed beads to make a fringe
loop. Sew back through the 8

0

, the

accent bead, the first 8

0

bead, and the

bead you exited on the front. Come
back down the other front bottom bead,
the 8

0

s, and the accent bead (photo i)

and make another loop. Go back up the
beads as before.

Go down the adjacent back bottom

bead. String through the 8

0

s and the

accent bead and make another loop.
Come back up through the exited bead
on the back and go down the other
bottom back bead to make the final
loop. After coming back up the beads,
weave the tail into the bag, tying a few
half hitches between beads before clip-
ping the thread.

w

View Stephanie’s work on her website,
http://members.aol.com/ladymojo99 and
contact her by e-mail at
[e-mail].

3

b e a d a n d bu t t o n . c o m

g

h

i

d

e

f

c

materials

• 10g Japanese cylinder beads
• 15g Size 8

0 seed beads, preferably Japanese

• Nymo D beading thread
• Beeswax or Thread Heaven
• Beading needles, #10 or 12
• 1 Accent bead
• 1 Clasp

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