A few years ago I shared a tutorial showing how to make a brick stitch heart bracelet and then a year later, a right angle weave heart necklace. I am back this year with a cubic right angle weave heart pendant tutorial. I am going to absolutely ignore that Valentine’s day has sailed past me (because that obviously is when I had planned this for) and share this tutorial anyway as it is an interesting stitch and the finished necklace is lovely.
For this tutorial I have used size 11 round seed beads in red and cream as I find that the tutorial is easier to show and hopefully follow with a contrast of bead colours and the overall effect is pretty cool with red beads tracking their way along the outer and inner edge of the cream beads.
Larger seed beads will also work but I found that size 11 was the absolute smallest that I could use as the needle and thread passes through the same beads several times so if the bead size is too small it will rapidly become frustrating to make.
Cubic right angle weave, I found, uses a lot of thread so begin this project with a very good length of thread. I used an arm span and a little more for good luck and it was just right.
As ever, there is a YouTube video at the end of this post so if the pictures are not making any sense then the video will hopefully show things clearer.
What is Cubic Right Angle Weave?
Cubic right angle weave is a variation on a flat right angle weave. The stitch works on a similar principle to regular right angle weave but Cubic right angle weave (CRAW for short) produces 3d structures that are perfect for beaded ropes.
In this tutorial I show the basics of getting started with cubic right angle weave, how to change directions and how to join two ends of CRAW to make a continual loop. The result will be a two tone beaded heart pendant.
Cubic Right Angle Weave Heart Pendant Tutorial
1 – Add a needle onto a long length of thread and pick up two red beads and two cream beads and pull the beads down the thread leaving a good tail thread to weave in at the end. Take the needle back into the first red bead and pull the thread so the beads form a 4 petal flower shape.
Move the needle along into the second red bead (this is simply because we are working to a colour pattern) and pick up one cream, one red and another cream bead.
2 – Take the needle back through the same red bead that you exited from but from the opposite side. Pull the thread to tighten the beadwork and move the needle through the next cream along and the next red along.
You are now in a position to pick up the next 3 beads – one red and two cream and take the needle back into the red bead you exited from to form another cluster of beads (I think of each cluster as four petal flowers). Move your needle through the next red bead along as you need to move the needle to the end of the beading to continue.
3 – Continue moving the needle through to the cream bead at the outer edge of the beading and then fold the beading in half so that the two cream beads and either end of the row of beads are touching.
Pick up one cream bead and take the needle into the opposite cream bead from where you exited from and then pick up another cream bead and take the needle up in to the opposite cream bead. This is the first cube of cubic right angle weave.
4 – Move your needle up to the top of the beading – this looks like a four petal flower all made from cream beads – and then take your needle through all four cream beads to join them together.
5 – We are going to start building the beading up in length now so pick up one red, one cream and one red bead and take the needle back through the cream bead you exited from. Move the needle up into the next red along and then pick up one cream and one red bead. Take the needle through the cream bead on the original bead work and back up into the next red along.
If we think of these clusters as flowers for a second, the cream bead on the original beadwork is petal number 1, so the first additional cluster of petals will need 3 more beads, the second additional cluster will only need 2 beads as you’ll use the cream bead on the original cluster and then a petal from the adjacent cluster, the third additional cluster will also need two beads added and the fourth additional cluster will only need one bead added and there will already be three in position. Does that make sense?!
6 – Continue moving the needle through the beadwork so that you are exiting through the red bead on the outer edge of the beadwork. Take the needle through the lower cream bead and pick up one red and one cream bead.
Take the needle into the red bead that you originally exited from.
7 – Move the needle through the beadwork so that the needle exits out of the red bead on the opposite side and pick up one cream bead. Take the needle down into the opposite red bead and along through the cream bead.
8 – Move the needle through the beadwork so that it exits out of a cream bead at the top of the beadwork and take then needle through all four cream beads.
Begin the process again by picking up one red, one cream and another red bead and repeat in the pattern as in steps 5 -8.
9 – Continue beading until you have nine red beads on the outer edge and seven red beads on the inner part. The outer edge of the heart is where there are two red beads close together.
Move the needle (if needs be) so that it is exiting out of the outer edge of the beading and pick up three cream beads and add them as before. Continue onto the next side by adding two red beads and then round again by adding one red and one cream bead.
10 – On the final side in this row add one red bead and then move your needle through the beading to exit out of one of the cream beads on the the full cream side.
Add one red, one cream and one red bead as before, move your needle through ready for the next side and then add one red, one cream and another red bead.
11 – Finish this row of beading by adding red and cream beads to finish the pattern.
At this point I want to add a little beaded loop to attach a chain to. If you just want the heart but not a loop you can skip this step. Take the needle through the beadwork so that it exits out of one of the red beads that sit in ‘v’ shape in the beading. Pick up three cream bead and take the needle through into the red bead opposite.
12 – To reinforce this beaded loop you can either take your needle through the CRAW and up into the cream beads again or cheat a little, like I did by picking up a red bead and taking the needle back up into the red bead before the cream loop, back into the loop and then through the other side.
From here, move your needle up to the cream beads on the beadwork and you are ready to continue beading in the same pattern as before.
13 – Bead until you have six red beads on the outer edge of the heart (the outer edge is where the loop is). Fold your beading so the the all cream end that you are exiting from matches up with the all cream side from where you started from. You should be able to see where the beads are going to match up.
Pick up one red bead and take it into the corresponding cream on the opposite end of the beadwork. Pick up another red bead and repeat so that there is a loop of beads. I turned my beading up side down for these last two pictures so the ends are opposite to the first two pictures.
14 – Continue moving around all four sides, joining both ends by adding red beads in between the cream. You will need to pull the thread tight to get it to stay together but you should get a seamless finish between both ends.
15 – Continue moving through the beads including joining the beading inside the heart.
16 – Move the needle through the beadwork and tie knots across the other threads. Make sure any bead you are pulling a knot into has enough room first or the knots will be visible. Tie off your tail thread too and cut off an excess.
Add a jump ring to the top of the heart and add your chain.
I’m hoping that the photos are doing most of the talking here as I think it would get very confusing if not. Cubic right angle weave is a great stitch though and the finished heart works well as a pendant due to the fact that it’s 3 dimensional.
Anyway, thanks for reading.
Hannah x
The Artisan Duck 