Variations Necklace

Leslee Frumin
www.lesleefrumin.com
leslee@lesleefrumin.com
(949) 456-0718
I had been toying with the idea of making a tubular stitches teaching
piece. I wanted it to have many learning opportunities but it had to be
beautiful as well. This sampler necklace resulted. The basic
connections technique can be used with any stitch. Hopefully this will
give you ideas to use in other pieces!

Supplies:
11° Japanese seed beads 3-4 colors
14°/15° Japanese seed beads 1-2 colors
you may include other sizes of seed beads
3 mm, 4mm fire polished glass
assorted glass beads 6mm-10mm (round, oval, flower shapes, etc.)
other embellishment beads such as triangles, hexes, drops, etc.
fireline 6lb
size 10 and 12 beading needles
bead mat
scissors
magnification as needed
task lamp

This necklace can be woven in both directions, so using a longer than

usual thread is fine. You will use a lot of thread because connecting
segments requires many passes. You may want to start with 1 ½ -2
yards of thread. You may spool up a yard of the thread (the tail) and
place your beading needle on the other end.

You may start with any tubular stitch. A segment of a stitch could be
whatever length you wish to make it. For the purposes of this class, I
am suggesting making the segments about ¾ to 1 ½ inches long.
This will result in an interesting looking sampler—and be enough time
to work on a given stitch.

©2007 Leslee Frumin 2

Connections made between segments is done by stringing beads,
adding a few beads of the next segment and connecting to the
previous segment. To start an Ndebele segment on one end and a
Brick stitch segment on the other end, string your between segment
beads. Next, using the thread from one end, add 4 seed beads (for
Ndebele) and needle back through the strung beads. On opposite
end, needle on 2 beads and needle back through the strung beads to
exit where you started. Avoid needling out of the previous 4 beads.
Now needle on 4 seed beads and needle back through the strung
beads. This time exit one seed bead. Needle on one seed bead and
needle back through the strung beads. Continue to build, in this
manner until you have achieved the number of Ndebele stacks you
want and the number of Brick stitch beads you want to work.

Another method of making connections is

to use tubular beads—3 to 4 keeping the
connections separate. This works well with
ribbon Ndebele in particular. It will work
well with many stitches.

So if you are working from a segment of netting and want to create

an Ndebele segment, needle on the connection bead(s) and 4 seed
beads. Then, needle back through the connection bead (catch the
point or center bead of a net. Next needle back through the
connection bead, needle on 4 seed beads and again needle back
through the connection bead into the next point bead of another net.
Repeat until you have achieved the number of pairs (stacks) you
want snugging down the beads as you add them. Now you have
stacks to work off of!

©2007 Leslee Frumin 3

 Vertical hole orientation

Sideways hole orientation

As you complete a segment and are doing the connections, make

sure that it is connected completely so the previous segment does
not have any part hanging off. Please note the orientation of the
bead hole that is being connected to. You will either have to connect
through beads whose holes are sideways as in peyote, netting and
right angle weave or vertical as in brick, Ndebele and square stitches.
Thinking about how to configure the beads for the new segment is
very important.
Configuring beads for the new segments requires that you think
about how large in diameter you want each tube segment to be.
Suggested number of beads to add for each technique:
Peyote start with 10 beads (5 beads for each row or round) by
using 2 beads added at a time (one is an up bead and the
other is a down or you may use trios of seed beads.
The center bead would be used as an up bead.
Brick start with 5 or 6 beads (5 or 6 beads for each row or
round)
Right angle weave start with 8 beads (will result in 4 squares
of which each square will have 2 beads/side or 8 beads)

©2007 Leslee Frumin 4

 Netting start with 9 or 12 beads (3 beads/net and each net
Will consist of main/contrast/main beads)
Ndebele start with 6 or 8 beads (will result in 3 or 4 stacks or
pairs of beads, so each round or row will consist of 6 or 8
beads
Twisted Ndebele or ribbon ndebele see below

To connect twisted Ndebele (originated by Leslie Frazier—see in--

The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving) to other segments, needle on
“strung” (i.e. fire polished or other glass) beads, then needle on 3
small beads (14° or Jap. cylinder beads) and one 11° bead. Then
needle back through the strung beads and into the segment below.
Make the connection and then needle back through the strung
beads. Be sure not to needle into the first loop or wrap it in any way.
Needle on 3 small beads and one 11° and then needle back through
the strung beads as before (repeat one more time). Make sure the
connection is complete. Turn these little loops such that the small
beads are either on the right or left (consistent direction is
important). Next needle up the three small beads; add one small
bead and one 11°; needle down one 11° bead in that group. You
may have to twist the little loops of beads (to keep them in the
correct direction) in order to needle up the three smaller beads. Then
needle up the three small beads in the next group. Repeat, pull tight
and continue (Adding 1 small bead, one 11° and needling up the
three small beads in the next stack) until you have achieved the
length you want.

Twisted Ndebele

©2007 Leslee Frumin 5

To do a ribbon twist (Leslie Frazier, originator), connections are done
as described above except you will add two size 8 bead & two size 11
(connect between strung beads), then a four size 11 (connect), then
two size 8 and two size 11 (connect), then four size 11 (connect).
The weave is up two and down two, adding single pairs of beads as
you weave. You may substitute size 11 for the size 8 and size 14 for
the size 11 beads to get a more delicate ribbon.

Be patient, it takes time for the twist to happen. Help it along by giving a twist in
one direction. You should have about 16 rounds— spiraled for the twist to
become evident. Another suggestion is to flatten the colors, opposite of each
other between your thumb and forefinger as you stitch.

If you prefer a more delicate ribbon, you can use size 11 and 14
beads. The set up is to use 2 size 11 beads and 2 size 14/15 in the
first group; then four size 14/15 matching the color of 14/15s added.
Next, two size 11 beads and two size 14/15 (next color); Then four
size 14/15 beads of the second color. See graphic below on the right.

One of my students, Gloria Siedel improved the tension on the 11/14

ribbon twist by needling up one on the size 11 beads and up and
down 2 beads on the size 14 beads.

©2007 Leslee Frumin 6

Ndebele or Herringbone Stitch In this stitch you always add 2 beads
at a time which creates stacks. In this stitch you may step up to keep
it even or spiral around.

Top view

Ndebele Variations: There are numerous ways to embellish as you

weave in this stitch. A simple method is to add beads between
stitches. The graphic on the left is simply adding a single bead
between each stitch after a pair is woven on. But before you begin
the next stitch. This will result in a bulge in the beadwork. The graphic
on the right shows adding a drop bead. In this method I reccommend
adding the drop beads in every other or every third row to prevent
crowding.

Another variation is to use small and large beads. When working the
second row you can place the small bead on top of the slarge bead
and vice versa. This will give a checkerboard appearance. Another
way to achievve a checkerboard appearance is to use 2 colors as in
the graphic on the right. Try using the smae color but in different
finshes for an additional way to create texture. The possibilities and
combinations are endless!

©2007 Leslee Frumin 7

Netting

First round Second round

In netting you are adding 3 beads at a time. I suggest doing the

three beads as main/contrast/main so you recognize the point or
center bead which is the go through bead for each stitch. You may
step up in each round to keep it even or allow it to spiral. The
connections are made to the point beads when moving on to the next
stitch. When working netting, you can insert a different bead such as
3mm fire polished glass. This will result in more rigid netting.

Right Angle Weave

Build 8 bead grids of tubular right angle weave

and then surface embellish it.

©2007 Leslee Frumin 8

Spiral rope: Step one: Needle on 4 inside (core) beads and 4-6
ouside beads. Needle into the tail end and continue through all
insided color or core beads. Step two: add 1 core bead and 4-6
outside color beads. Needle into 3 inside color beads (excluding the
bottom core bead). Needle through the newly added core bead at the
top. Repeat step two, laying newly added beads next to the last ones
added, which creates a spiral effect. Vary the number, size or type of
beads to change the look. Connect through the core beads.
Step two
Step one

Inside
color

This is the kind of piece that directions could go on forever. The idea
is to take some ideas and expand on them. If you are not familiar
with various stitches I recommend several books:
Creative Bead Weaving Carol Wilcox Wells
The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving Carol Wilcox Wells
Beading with Brick Stitch Diane Fitzgerald
Beading with Herringbone Stitch Vicki Star
Netted Beadwork Diane Fitzgerald
There are endless possibilities! I hope you enjoy the process!
Brick Stitch has some rules.
In each row, note that there
is a thread between each bead.
Top view

©2007 Leslee Frumin 9

The stitch is worked by needling on the bead(s), then needling under
the thread next to where the thread exits a bead and finally needling
up the last added bead. Each row starts with 2 beads and then each
subsequent bead is added one by one. When working tubular, the
last bead added must be connected to the first bead in that row.
Additionally, I recommend that you connect the current row to the row
below. Then needle up and exit a bead on the row just finished.

Variations in brick stitch can be accomplished by changing bead size.

Graduating sizes in each row and then reducing them can give the
look of a beaded bead within the piece. Playing with color can change
the look too!

©2007 Leslee Frumin 10

 peyote
Ndebele with
Drop beads

Brick
Brick stitch Stitch
With
different
size beads
Peyote

ndebele
netting

Embellished Ndebele with

peyote Drop beads

Twisted
Ndebele

Netting
with fire
Polished
glass
Embellished
Right Angle
weave

Ndebele
Embellished Ribbon
peyote

©2007 Leslee Frumin 11