Brick stitch basics

Brick stitch earned its name by resembling the bricks in a wall. In brick stitching, beads don't sit one on top of the next. Instead, the rows are off-set, as on a brick wall. Brick stitch is an easy stitch to learn and our illustrations below will help you along.

Brick stitching fundamentals
A ladder is a row of stitched beads that form the foundation row. Subsequent rows of brick stitch decrease like a pyramid, so it's important to know how to increase and decrease your bead count in brick stitch for even more shaping opportunities.

Here are the basics you need to get started...

Brick stitch ladder

Ladder
1 A ladder of seed beads or bugle beads is used to begin brick stitch. To make a ladder, pick up two beads, leaving a 6-in. (15cm) tail. Go through both beads again in the same direction. Pull the top bead down so the beads are side by side. The thread exits the bottom of the second bead (a-b). Pick up a third bead, and go back through the second bead from top to bottom.

2 Come back up the third bead (b-c). String a fourth bead. Go through the third bead from bottom to top and the fourth bead from top to bottom (c-d). Continue adding beads until you reach the desired length.

3 To reinforce the ladder, zigzag back through it.

Brick stitch

Brick stitch
1 Whenever possible, begin each brick stitch row so no thread shows on the edge. Pick up two beads. Go under the thread bridge between the second and third beads on the ladder from back to front. Go up the second bead added and then down the first. Come back up the second bead.

2 For the row's remaining stitches, pick up one bead. Go under the next thread bridge on the previous row from back to front. Go back up the new bead. Brick stitch naturally decreases by one bead at the start of each row.

Brick stitch increase

Brick stitch increase
1 An increase at the beginning of a row will keep the number of beads the same as in the previous row. Work as a normal brick stitch, but start by going under the first thread bridge on the previous row rather than the second.

2 To increase within a row, add a second bead to the same thread bridge as the previous stitch.

Brick stitch decrease

Brick stitch decrease
1 As noted, brick stitch naturally decreases by one bead at the start of each row. To decrease by more than one bead within a row, pick up a bead, then skip a thread bridge on the previous row.

2 To decrease at the end of a row, stop short of the last bead in the previous row.

Downloadable brick stitch instructions
For you convenience, we've also included a downloadable PDF to help you learn the brick stitching basics.