Introduction and Materials

This stitch is also known as Comanche Weave and is most often used in combination with the ladder stitch. Begin by making a ladder of beads either using bugle or seed beads. For these instructions, I’ll assume the ladder is made from bugles since that’s the most popular bead to use. However, the instructions really don’t change if seed beads are used.

Start Brick Stitch

1. Once you have a little ladder bead ready, bring your needle up through the first bugle bead on one end of the ladder making sure to leave a 6 inch tale. If you have enough thread left over after making the ladder section, then you will already be positioned at your first ladder rung.

Thread First Seed Bead

2. Thread on one seed bead (Usually size 11 Japanese are the best for brick, though you can use Czech. For graphics included here, I used size 6 Czech since they are easier to see.).
3. You’ll notice a piece of thread connecting each rung of the ladder. Now insert your needle through the thread that joins each rung.

Insert Needle Through Bead

4. Next, insert your needle up through the beads you added in step 2.

5. Push the bead down so it is snug up against the top of the ladder.

6. Continue steps 2-5 until you have worked your way down the length of the ladder.
7. For the next row and succeeding rows, turn your piece around (so you can continue working left to right). Repeat steps 2-5 only this time the thread you’ll insert your needle through will be in between seed beads instead of bugle beads.

In a nutshell, that is the basic brick stitch. As you do each row, the rows will automatically decrease.

If you continued doing row after row, you would end up with a piece shaped like a triangle.