Three-sided amulet

Brick stitch a triangular purse

by Stephanie Trice

rick stitch is one of my favorite bead

stitches. When you first learn it, you
might think that all its good for is
triangular, fringed earrings. But thats 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 cylinder beads (I use Delicas) is almost exactly as
tall as one size 80 Japanese seed bead. So I
alternate pairs of cylinder beads with 80 seed
beads, using two tones of the same color to
get a woven fabric look.

an 80 and the other will alternate between an

80 and a pair of cylinder beads.
Make an identical triangle but start the
ladder with a pair of cylinder beads rather
than an 80. On this piece one side will have all
cylinder beads and the other side will alternate bead types.

stepbystep
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 80 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 80 and a pair of
cylinder beads (photo b). Notice that one side
of the beaded triangle will always begin with

Bead & Button December 2002

(photo d). Resume square stitching the

other side seam.

Place the triangles together with the

ladder sides up and
the side with all 80
beads against the side
with all cylinder
beads. Weave a 112yd. (1.4m) length of
thread into the beadwork, 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 80 bead and cylinder pair on the two pieces (figure).
When youve joined the last beads
on the first side, switch direction and
sew up the adjacent bottom bead
3

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 80s
and cylinder pairs) along the top of the
back. Start with an 80 bead, the reverse
of the bead youre 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 80s 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 80s 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.
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Square stitch back down the strap to

the purse, attaching the opposite bead
or group (photo g and Basics).
When youve 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 80 bead, the accent bead,
and an 80 bead. String a combination of
cylinder and seed beads to make a fringe
loop. Sew back through the 80, the
accent bead, the first 80 bead, and the
bead you exited on the front. Come
back down the other front bottom bead,
the 80s, 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 80s 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 clipping the thread. w
View Stephanies work on her website,
http://members.aol.com/ladymojo99 and
contact her by e-mail at
ladymojo99@aol.com.

materials
10g Japanese cylinder beads
15g Size 80 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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