Why do I love tubular herringbone? Oh, let me count the
ways! I first discovered this fantastic stitch when I was just a beginning beader
and for some reason, I had a tough time figuring out how to work flat
herringbone. One of my beading friends suggested that I learn tubular
herringbone as a way to learn the basic mechanics of the stitch, and it
clicked!
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| It only looks complicated! The wonderful texture of my Iridescent Braids necklace comes from braiding three strands of easy tubular herringbone. |
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So what can you do with this wonderfully versatile little
bead-weaving stitch? For starters, if you want to practice making simple
tubular herringbone ropes, you can whip up my
Iridescent Braids necklace and
bracelet. The texture of these tubular herringbone ropes comes from the cut
cylinder beads and the braiding of the beaded ropes - no fancy stitching is required,
but no one really needs to know that.
You can create all sorts of interesting textures and
patterns in a simple tubular herringbone rope just by varying your bead sizes.
Try starting with a few rows using size 11
o cylinder beads, then a
few rows with size 11
o Czech or Japanese seed beads, and then a few
rows of 8
o seed beads.
Once you've mastered a basic tubular herringbone rope, you
can add some texture by working twisted tubular herringbone. Twisted tubular
herringbone is a great exercise in maintaining tension. Your twists can be more
dramatic when worked with a tighter tension, or softer with a looser
tension. Either way, you'll get a great
lesson in thread tension when you work up a twisted tubular herringbone rope.
Using two different sizes of seed beads will add some
wonderful texture to your twisted tubular herringbone rope. Seed beads that are
relatively close in size (such as a size 11o cylinder and 11o
Japanese seed bead) will give you a delicate twist. Using two very different
sizes of seed beads will give you a big, chunky beaded rope. Play around with
cubes, drop beads or any other shaped seed beads you might have in your stash,
too!
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| Try making the Jazzy Herringbone bracelet to learn basic tubular herringbone embellishment techniques. |
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The beauty of twisted tubular herringbone is that you can
embellish it to your heart's content in all sorts of interesting ways. Adding a
tiny size 15o seed bead between each pair in your tubular
herringbone rope is a great way to subtly add a touch of color or texture. Or
you can really make a statement by adding 3mm crystal bicones, larger seed
beads or a small drop bead between each seed bead pair. For starters, try
making my Jazzy Herringbone Bracelet to get the hang of adding those beads in
between seed bead pairs.
Let yourself play with tubular herringbone stitch and see
what else you can do with this amazing bead-weaving stitch!
Are you ready to learn all about herringbone stitch?
Check out Herringbone Basics and Beyond with
Beadwork magazine's Melinda Barta. You'll learn everything you need to know about herringbone stitch including Melinda's tips and tricks for embellishing, creating your own herringbone stitch patterns and starting herringbone stitch.
What's your favorite way to stitch up a tubular herringbone rope? Tell us here on the blog!
Bead Happy,
Jennifer