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I felt it was time for another brick stitch tutorial. I loved working on my brick stitch heart bracelet tutorial and thought it would be fun to make another brick heart but with the twist that it was actually three hearts joined in a row. Part of my motivation here was that I was given some Delica beads for Christmas and I was excited to have a go at using them. I have always used regular seed beads for brick stitch as I am a great believer in using what you have, and they work great most of the time, but these Delica beads really sit so well and look so polished in the trio of hearts.
I have detailed as much as I can in the step by step photos for the three brick stitch hearts but I have also filmed a YouTube video so you can refer to that if necessary. As with most of my other brick stitch tutorials, I have made a free pdf of the pattern I made for this trio of hearts.
Don’t forget that when you are reading a brick stitch pattern you read it by zig zagging your way up as the beading finishes on alternate ends of the bead work. The end of one row will have the start of the next one right above it.
For this brick stitch heart necklace the pattern runs left to right so we start beading at the side of the first heart so if you are following my instructions here then it may look a little odd to start with! There are also two places where in this pattern where we need to do a little creative thread work to ensure we are exiting out of the right beads in order to continue.
For this brick stitch trio of hearts necklace I am using size 11 Delica in both gold and cream and my favourite white Wildfire beading thread.
Trio Of Hearts Brick Stitch Necklace Tutorial
Begin by cutting an arm span of beading thread and adding a needle to one end. Pick up two gold Delica beads and move them down towards the bottom of the thread, leaving a 10″ tail thread at the end. Take the needle back up through the bottom bead (the one nearest the tail thread) and pull the thread tight. This will cause the two beads to sit side by side.
Next, pick up a third gold bead and take the needle back up the gold bead that the thread was exiting from but from the opposite side. When the threads are pulled tight all three beads will sit side by side.
Both threads, the working thread and tail thread, are now exiting out of the middle bead so we need to move them so that they are exiting out of the same bead at one end of the set of three beads. To do this take the needle into one of the gold beads on one side and put the tail thread through the same gold bead as the working thread and pull tight. Both threads are now exiting out of the same gold bead.
Keep in mind now that the gold bead with the threads exiting is the top edge of the first heart. We are going to use this tail thread to add a beaded loop to attach out chain so when continuing with the brick stitch pattern this needs to stay at the top.
We are now going move onto the next row of brick stitch. The previous row was 3 beads and this new row is 4 beads so the row is increasing in length. In order to increase the row length pick up 2 gold beads on the needle and take the needle under the threads bridging between the 2 gold beads on the lower row. Pull the thread through and then take the needle back up and into the second gold bead again and pull tight.
To add the third bead in this row, pick a gold bead up on your needle and take the needle through the remaining bridging thread between the lower gold beads. Pull the thread through and take the needle through this same gold bead again and pull tight.
To add the last bead in this row, pick up a gold bead on your needle and, because we have no more clear bridging threads to use, take the needle under the thread that is running up into the next gold bead along. Pull the thread tight and then take the needle back up the same gold bead and pull. All four beads will now be sitting neatly in a row.
The next row of beading has 5 beads (so increasing on the row below) so begin by picking up 2 gold beads and taking the needle under the bridging thread for the beads below. Finish the stitch by taking the needle up into the second new gold bead.
Add 2 more beads, one at a time, by using the bridging threads on the beading below and finish the row by adding the fifth bead at the end by using the threads running up and into its neighbouring gold bead. Finish the stitch, as we have on every other step, by taking the needle up again into this last gold bead.
Before moving onto this step make sure that your tail thread is positioned at the top of the beading.
The 4th row of beading also has 5 beads but the bead work in moving down one so we need to begin this row a little differently. Begin by picking up 1 gold bead only, take the needle through the bridging thread and finish the stitch by taking the needle back up into this new bead. This will now set this bead slightly lower than the row below. The thread will be visible on the out side of the beadwork so choose your thread colour wisely!
Continue to add 3 more gold beads, one at a time, as we have before by attaching them to the bridging threads on the row below.
Continue to add the fifth bead by adding it onto the end of the row as we have done for all the previous two rows.
The needle is exiting out the bottom of the beadwork and we need to add a further 5 beads for the next row. The beading is still increasing at the bottom but not at the top.
To begin the 5th row pick up 2 gold beads and attach them as before. Finish the row by adding 4 more beads, one at a time by using the available bridging threads only. Because this row decreases at the top of the heart there is no need to add a bead to the side.
The 6th row of beadwork is exactly the same as the previous row and the brick stitch in continuing to move down. The needle is now exiting out the beadwork where it is currently stepping down into the middle of the heart (this end is decreasing) so pick up only one bead to start the row.
Continue to add 4 more beads, one at a time by using the bridging threads and finish by adding the last bead onto the end by attaching it to the thread running up into the next bead along (as we have in previous steps).
The 7th row of beading also has 5 beads but the beadwork is now moving upwards to finish off the other side of the heart. The needle is exiting out of the bottom of the heart at the point where we are now going to decrease so begin this new row by picking up one bead only and finish the row by adding four more beads, one at a time. The fourth bead will be added onto the end of the row as we have done in previous steps.
By now you will have a feel for how the stitch works and how we are moving through the pattern. Just remember that if the row is increasing on the side where you begin the new row that you will need to pick up two beads to begin with but if the row is decreasing at the point where you begin the row then only pick up one bead. Use all the bridging threads as you move through the row and then, if the row is increasing to add a bead at the end using the threads in the neighbouring bead.
The 8th row of brick stitch begins with 2 gold beads but the second heart is now being introduced so the remaining 3 beads in the row are cream
The 9th row of beading has 6 beads so increases on each end. Pick up two cream beads to begin with and then finish the row with a further 2 cream beads and then 2 gold beads.
The 10th row begins with 1 gold bead and the remaining 5 beads are all cream.
Begin the 11th row with 2 cream beads and then finish off with a further 3 cream bead and 1 gold bead.
We have now reached the first point at which we need to alter where the needle and thread are exiting as the next row of beading doesn’t start directly above the previous row so take the needle ( it should be exiting out of the last gold Delica ) and pass it down into the cream bead sitting along side. Take the needle under the bridging threads directly under it and pull the thread through. Next, take the needle and thread back up into the same cream bead again and you are ready to pick up a cream bead to begin the next row of beading.
The 12th row of brick stitch has 5 cream beads in total so once the bridging threads are used the last bead will need to be added onto the end of the row.
The 13th row of beading also has 5 cream beads and is continuing to move downwards to form the middle of the heart so pick up 2 beads to begin with to start this row.
The 14th and 15th rows of brick stitch are moving back up to form the other side of the brick stitch heart and each contain 5 cream beads. Pick up 2 beads to begin the 14th row and one bead to begin the 15th row.
We need to finish the 15th row of beadwork with a gold bead but we will have used all the bridging threads and already added on a cream bead to the side so to add the gold bead pick it up on your needle and take the needle into up through the last cream bead in the row and pull through.
The thread is now exiting out of the cream bead and it needs to be move to exit out of the gold bead so we can continue adding out third bead in our brick stitch heart trio. This is the second of our sneaky turns. Take the needle into the bridging thread that sits on between and on top of the last 2 cream beads in the row. Once you have pulled the thread though take the needle back down the last cream bead.
Take the needle back up and into the gold bead again and begin the 16th row of beading by picking up 1 gold and 1 cream bead to begin with.
Finish the 16th row of beading by adding a further 4 cream beads and continue up into the 17th row by picking up 1 cream bead to begin with and finish by adding a further 3 cream and 2 gold beads.
The 18th row decreases on both ends so pick up 1 gold bead to begin with and finish the row with 1 more gold and 3 cream beads. This row finishes off the second heart in our trio.
The 19th and 20th each have 5 gold beads per row and the beading is moving downwards to form the third brick stitch heart so begin the 19th row by picking up 2 gold beads and the 20th row starts with 1 gold bead.
The 21st, 22nd and 23rd row of beading all have 5 gold beads per row and the beadwork is moving upwards again to form the other side of the heart.
The 24th row has 4 gold beads in it and the last row only 3.
The threads should exit out of the top of the third heart. To add a beaded loop pick up 3 gold beads and take the needle down into the middle bead in the last row of brick stitch. Pull the thread tight to form a loop and then knot your threads and cut off any excess.
Put your needle onto your tail thread and add a beaded loop just like you did in step 13. Weave in this thread, knotting as you go and cut off any excess. Add your chain with jump rings and you trio of hearts brick stitch necklace is finished.
Links below for products used are Affiliate links for Amazon (UK and United States). This just means that if you use my link to buy a product I earn a very small commission, at no extra expense to you (you pay the same regardless how you find the item). Every little extra helps me to offer free tutorials.
Affiliate Links –
UK –
Delica size 11 cream
Delica size 11 gold
Wildfire beading thread white
USA
Delica size 11 cream
Delica size 11 gold
Wildfire beading thread white
This was supposed to be a quick and simple post but I think I may have failed on that!
As well as the two brick stitch heart tutorials, I also have a right angle weave heart necklace which is another fun one to make.
Now for the boring but necessary bit – This tutorial is for personal use only. If you sell
the necklace you have made from this tutorial then please credit me, The Artisan
Duck. It is prohibited to mass produce, reproduce, copy, share or teach any part of
this tutorial. Also, if you share your finished necklace on social media then please tag
me as I would love to see them.
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Hannah x
The Artisan Duck 