Tubular Herringbone

At shows and online I have seen a lot of jewelry crafters who have incorporated twisted strands of seed beads with a strand of large beads for bracelets and necklaces. The biggest complaint that I have heard about the jewelry is that the customer could not keep the seed beads twisted in the same way the artist had displayed the piece. In an attempt to get the same look myself, without customers complaining, I came across pictures of seed bead tubes and learned the stitch needed to create that look. Now my customers ask, “How do you get your seed beads to stay twisted?” The answer is easy…a tubular herringbone stitch!

When it comes to learning beading stitches, I am dyslexic. I cannot follow patterns or written instructions to save my life. After going from book to magazine to book again, I finally came across an instruction in a 2006 edition of Bead and Button magazine that I could use to teach the stitch to others. In the 2008 Beader’s Handbook (from editors of Bead and Button magazine), I found an even simpler version written by Associate Editor Lynne Soto.

Here is an excerpt: “Tubular herringbone usually starts from a ladder of beads formed into a ring, though it can also begin with a simple ring of beads. In either case, begin with an even number of beads. Once you get started, you can choose to make the ribs straight (photo c) or twisted (photo d).

Straight tubular herringbone
(1) For a ladder start, stitch a ladder with an even number of beads, and form it into a ring. Your thread should exit the top of a bead.
(2) Pick up two beads, and sew down through the next bead in the previous round (figure 7, a-b). Sew up through the next bead, and repeat around the ring to complete the round (b-c).
(3) You will need to step up to start the next round. Sew up through two beads—the next bead in the previous round and the first bead added in the new round (c-d).

Alternatively, begin by picking up four beads, and sew through them again to form a ring. Sew through the first bead again, and snug up the beads (figure 8, a-b). Pick up two beads, and sew through the next bead (b-c). Repeat three times, and step up through the first bead added in this round.

Whether you begin with a ladder or a ring, continue adding two beads per stitch. As you work, snug up the beads to form a tube, and step up at the end of each round until your rope in the desired length.

Twisted tubular herringbone
(1) Form a base ring with an even number of beads. Pick up two beads, and sew through the next bead in the previous round (figure 9, a-b). Sew up through the next bead, and repeat around the ring to complete the round (b-c)
(2) You will need to step up to start the next round. Sew up through two beads—the bead from the previous round and the first bead added in the new round (c-d). Work one round of straight herringbone (d-e).
(3) To create a twist in the tube, pick up two beads, sew down through one bead in the next stack, then up through two beads in the following stack (e-f). Repeat around the ring, adding two beads per stitch. Step up to the next round through three beads (f-g). Snug up the beads to form a tube. The twist will begin to appear after the sixth round. Continue until your rope is the desired length.”

Even if the written instructions confuse you, the diagrams are easy to follow. It will take some practice to get the tensions even and I bead the tube around a strand of 6° or 8° seed beads to keep the tube from collapsing. It also gives you a base to string additional large beads on. Check out Bead and Button magazine's website for more instructions and projects, http://www.beadandbutton.com/bnb/default.aspx.

Happy Beading!

Claudia