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Fierce - a Tribal Stripes bead embroidery tutorial


One of the best things about working with black and white beads in the new Jesse James Beads Tribal Stripes collection is that it gives you unlimited potential for mixing in other colors.  The Pantone color called Pink Yarrow is so hot right now, and I like it anyway, so that's the direction I went in stitching up this new pendant that I call Fierce!


Materials + Tools


Jesse James Beads
Tribal Stripes inspiration bead mix
Tribal Stripes mini bead mix

Seed Beads
Size 11/0:
Black matte
Fuchsia matte
White
Fuchsia Delicas

Size 8/0:
Color-lined hot pink

Size 15/0:
Black

Tools
Beading needles
Scissors
Nymo beading thread, black, size O
Foundation fabric, like ultra-suede
Double sided tape



1. Use a small piece of double sided tape to position your focal bead and stitch it down.

2. Stitch a row of back stitch around the bead with size 11/0 seed beads.  Keep an even number of beads on each side, not counting the corners.  Run your thread through all the stitches a second time to cinch them up, and tack down on the back of the foundation fabric.  Come up so that you have passed through a corner bead and one additional row bead.  Begin peyote stitch down to the next corner.


 

3. When you reach the next corner bead, skip it and add two seed beads over top of it.  Repeat around, adding two beads at each corner.  In the following rows, these two beads will be the base for a herringbone stitch, which will hug the corner.  I added several more rows to accommodate the depth of my bead, and in the final row I switched to size 15/0 seed beads, using size 11/0s only on the corners.  For the final row, I added a single bead at the top of the herringbone stitches just to finish them off.



4. Continue to add rows of back stitch working outward from the bezel in color combinations that please you.  Add some small focal beads for variety.




5. Add a couple more rows of back stitch, and cut out your pendant, leaving about 1/8 inch of foundation fabric.  Use double sided tape to attach backing fabric, and cut it even with the top.



6. Stitch around the outside through both pieces of fabric using edging brick stitch.


 

7. Add stack stitches to each edging stitch.





8. Add a square stitch bail to the back.  I usually use eleven rows with size 11/0 seed beads.


 


If you need more details for any of the instructions, step-by-step instructions for putting together a bead embroidered piece, including back stitch, edging brick stitch, and stack stitch can be found in the free first chapter of Every Bead Has a Story.  Chapter two has instructions for stitching a peyote stitch bezel, and Chapter three teaches the square stitch bail.

This post contains affiliate links: Jesse James Beads and Beadaholique.  I received the beads from Jesse James Beads free of charge in order to create several projects at no cost for you.  

Copyright 2017 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact.

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