Why brick stitch is better than peyote stitch might seem controversial statement. Especially since I would say that Peyote stitch is my favourite stitch. It’s easier to teach, and satisfyingly quick to bead, once you’ve got going. However there are some things that brick stitch is just better suited to. For example when you’re making small charms or pendants. Brick stitch can often give them more structure and it’s easier to create unusual shapes.
What’s the difference
I realise some of you may be reading this who are completely new to beading and you’re thinking, what’s the difference? Well, both brick stitch and peyote stitch look very similar. They can be tricky to identify when looking at a finished item. The main difference is in the way the two stitches are constructed.
For Peyote stitch the beads are added horizontally and held in place by threading through beads. This creates a structure of interlocking beads that has a lot of flexibility making it ideal for bracelets. There are two types of Peyote stitch; even count and odd count. Even count is started with an even number of beads. It is straight forward as your needle and thread will already be in the right place to start each new row. Odd count, is started with an odd number of beads. At the end of each alternate row you have to thread through a few beads (odd count turn) to get back to the correct place to start the next row.
For brick stitch each bead is added vertically and held in place by anchoring under thread and back through the bead. Each new row of beads added is off set by half a bead, making it look like a course of bricks or a brick wall. This creates a more ridged structure ideal for items that do not require much flexibility. Regardless of how many beads you have in your first row each row is added in the same way.
Small designs that have a symmetrical pattern are much easier to create with brick stitch, as you don’t have to contend with fiddly odd count turns, like you do with peyote stitch (something that always takes a while to get your head around).
Getting started with brick stitch
There are some great resources available for getting started with brick stitch like our introduction to peyote stitch & brick stitch video
Projects using Brick Stitch
If you’re wanting to but brick stitch into action, we have a great project for complete beginners making diamond shaped earrings. We’ve included some helpful tricks to help get you started. You can view the project here.
We also have a great brick stick hexagon project. This project started off as workshop, then became a virtual class during lockdown and now is available a free project. Complete with blank templates. The hexagons have a built-in space (hole) to help attach jump rings to turn them into earrings, pendants or stitch markers. This is a great project to help improve your skills as it includes essential techniques (increasing and decreasing) on a small scale.
We’d love to know your thoughts, which stitch do you prefer?