Have you come across square stitch in a beading pattern you’d like to try and are wondering what it is? Let me unravel this handy beadweaving stitch for you! I’ll explain what is square stitch, how to start it and how to join in a new thread.
What is square stitch?
Square stitch is a great beading stitch for beginners; it’s sturdy and makes a perfect base for beading projects. For this reason, it’s often used as the start for some projects and stitches. Square stitch works really well with Delica beads but can be used with seed beads and more.
How to do flat square stitch
Use a stop bead. Pick up enough beads to start your first row e.g. 5 beads. Snug these up against the stop bead. Pick up the first bead you need for your second row. Hold your work so you are working towards yourself. (Diagram 1).
Pass the needle through the very last bead in your first row, working towards yourself (and away from the other beads in the row). Pull that snug and you’ll see how the new bead pops right next to the first one. (Diagram 2)
To get into position to add the next bead, pass through the bead just added. Now repeat the exact same method: so, pick up a new bead, pass through the next bead in the row and then pass through the new bead added. You’ll see the thread path feels like a square! (Diagram 3).
When you reach the end of the row, you might notice the beads are sitting a little wonky! At the end of every row of square stitch, you’ll pass your needle through all of the beads on this row – make sure to check the back side of the work to be sure you haven’t missed any beads! This will help straighten the beads and strengthen your work.
Now flip the piece so you are working back towards yourself again, and carry on with this method until you have the desired number of rows.
Adding in thread with square stitch
Adding in new beading thread is never our favorite thing to do, but the good news is it’s actually quite easy to do in square stitch!
My top tip is don’t keep going until your thread is super short, as you will have to weave that end in. If you’re new to beading, I always suggest starting your new thread before you end off your old thread, so you can remember which bead you need to start from – and in which direction!
So, leave your working thread attached. With your new thread, randomly pick a spot a few rows back, leave a small tail so you can hang on to that.
Weave through the beads, changing direction a few times. You want to make sure your thread sits in the intersections and no thread is showing. Now, work your thread through so that it comes out in the same location of the old thread – now the new thread is ready to work with! I like to change direction at least three or four times.
Snip off the tail thread of the new thread nice and close to the beads.
With your old thread, you’ll finish it off in the exact same way – pass through beads, changing direction until it is secure – then trim!
Now that you have the hang of square stitch, take a look at these great FREE PATTERNS using square stitch!
