Friday, July 26, 2013

Beading Tutorial: Russian Chevron Chain

Russian Chevron Chain Technique

Russian chevron chain is one of those more obscure beading stitches that deserves more time in the spotlight. Similar in appearance to Nepal chain, the weave creates a wide but delicate strip of beadwork that is perfect for lightweight bracelets. It is worked in three sections which are easily adapted by adding more beads to get a larger, more lacy piece.

The traditional stitch begins with a simple two-needle weave. The length of the base section isn’t altered much by the addition of the chevron stitches, so there’s no need to predict the finished length of the beadwork - it will closely match the length of the base that you create. When working the two-needle base, keep a mat or pin cushion nearby to hold your needles between stitches.

The basic steps are very straightforward, and become intuitive almost immediately. We’ll work with 2-color palettes for clarity, but once you understand the basic steps, using a single color or more complex pattern is easy.

To Weave a Traditional Russian Chevron Chain

Cut a comfortable length of beading thread, about 2 yards, and thread a needle on each end. Pick up 12 color A seed beads, and center them on the thread. Use one needle to stitch up through the first bead added. Pull snug to form a small loop.

Two-Needle Russian Chevron Chain Start Two-Needle Russian Chevron Chain Tutorial


With one needle, pick up 6 A, then secure the needle on your bead mat or pin cushion. With the other needle, pick up 5 A, and stitch up through the last bead added on the other thread. When you pull snug, you should have a round cluster of seed beads, with five on each thread and a single shared bead on top.

Russian Chevron Chain Base How to Weave a Russian Chevron Chain


Continue adding groups of 6 and 5 beads and connecting them this way, until the chain reaches the desired length. There is no need to use a specific needle for either the 5 or 6 bead pick-ups. In fact, it saves time if you alternate each time, using the needle that stitches through the shared bead to pick up the next set of six. Be careful not to tangle the threads as you work by keeping the resting thread secure and straight.

Weaving a Russian Chevron Chain Base Russian Chevron Chain Base Stitch


When you have added your last cluster in the chain, pick up 12 or more color A. If you are making a bracelet or necklace strap, you can make the final loop large enough to fit over a toggle clasp or button. Stitch through the last shared bead added and pull snug to form the final loop.

Adding a Clasp Loop to Russian Chevron Chain Starting a Russian Chevron Chain Stitch


Stitch through the next 3 beads in the final cluster of the chain. Your thread should be exiting from the center-most bead of one side of the cluster. Pick up 7 Color B beads, and stitch through the 3rd A and the following A. Pull snug to form a little loop of new beads.

How to Weave a Russian Chevron Chain Russian Chevron Stitch Tutorial


Stitch through the first 3 B pick up and pull snug. Pick up 1 B, and stitch through the 3rd (center) A bead of the next cluster in the chain. Pull tight, and the first chevron embellishment is complete. You are now in position to start the next one: pick up 7 B, and stitch through the 3rd and 4th A.

Russian Chevron Chain Stitch Continuing Russian Chevron Chain Embellisments


Continue working along the chain until you reach the end. Stitch the single B to the 3rd A of the final cluster, and weave in the thread.

Flip the beadwork, and pick up the second thread. Pass through the final loop, exit from the 3rd bead on the bare side of the chain, and pull snug. Add chevron stitches along this side of the chain and you’re done!

Russian Chevron Chain Side One Russian Chevron Chain Side Two Start


Single Needle Chevron Chain Base

The two-needle variation is incredibly fiddly and it takes a long time to work up the base. While the ease of the chevron stitches makes up for this, you can speed things up further by using a single-needle approach.



Cut a comfortable length of thread, and secure a needle on one end. Center a stop bead on the thread, and stitch through it again to lock it in place. Pick up 12 seed beads, followed by groups of 6 until you reach the desired length. (You can also use a pattern of 1 A and 5 B to make the second row easier).

Single Needle Chevron Chain Start Creating a Clasp Loop


Add the final loop of seed beads - making it clasp-sized if desired - then stitch back up through the last 4 beads added before the final loop. Pull snug, and attach stop bead if desired to prevent loss of tension.

Single Needle Russian Chevron Chain Tutorial Easy Russian Chevron Chain Base


Thread a needle on the tail and remove the stop bead. Skipping the first 12 beads, stitch through the first shared bead in the chain and pull snug to form the base loop.

Pick up 5 beads, and stitch through the 6th bead in the chain. Continue adding 5 beads at a time until you reach the end. Pass through the final loop, and exit from the 3rd (center) bead of the last cluster added, opposite from the first thread.

Russian Chevron Side One Start How to Weave Russian Chevron Chain


You’re now ready to add the chevron stitches as normal. The pattern repeats: pick up 7, stitch through 2, stitch through 3, pick up 1, stitch through 1.

To increase the size of the chevron chain, add more beads to the base loops - still sharing only one bead each, and so that the beads on either thread have an odd number. The first set of beads picked up for the chevron stitch should be equal to the non-shared beads in the chain, plus 2. For example, if the base chain has loops of 7 non-shared A beads, you should pick up 9 B for the chevron stitches.

Russian Chevron Chain Pattern Examples


Happy beading!

Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading
Subscribe to Inspirational Beading
Get inspired on Facebook and Google+


7 comments:

  1. I'm going to try it right now :) You've explained it so good that I'm eager to try it :) Thank You!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's a new one on me. Thank you for the great tutorial.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love how you do you tutorials. Thank you so much.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Such a great tutorial! This reminds me of Saraguro weave, which works in one step.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Diana! I'm glad that you like it. It's a fussy but totally worth it stitch.

      Delete

Blog Widget by LinkWithin
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Inspiration Topics

accessories amulet Ancient Worlds Modern Beads animals April's Army art ArtFire astrology astronomy autumn awards awareness bangle beach Bead Inspired Bead Shops bead soup bead spotlight bead stash Bead Trays beaded beads beading theory beads belt bezel birthstones black blog spotlight blue boho bone book spotlight bracelet Bracelet A Week branch fringe brick stitch brown bugles buttons cabochon ceramic chain maille challenge charity chevron chain christmas collar Collections color Color Ideas color triads conservation craft shows crafts crochet crystals cuff Culled Beads current events Current Faves daggers Daily Sets daisy chain Delicas Destash drops Dutch spiral earrings Egypt Egyptian Gods embellishing embroidery environment etsy exotic fair trade fantasy fashion Favorite Beads Favorite Techniques feminine fibers film findings fire polish fixtures Flashback Test flickr inspiration flowers food found object free form fringe Geek Jewels geekery gemstones geography giveaway glass gold gray Greece green herringbone hex cuts history holiday home decor insects inspiration tip inspired beader Inspired by... Inspiring Links ivory Jewelry Stash knitting ladder stitch lampwork lariat leaf fringe leather lights literature loomwork macrame magatamas Master Class Medallions metal free metalwork Mini Collar a Week mixed media mixture Mood Board MOP multi-color multi-strand music natural beads nature necklace Necklace a Day Nepal chain netting New Beads ocean ombre orange paint paper patterns pearls pendant peyote photography Picasso finish pink Pinspiration PMC polymer clay poster sketch purple quick inspiration rainbow RAW red resin ring Ring a Day rivoli Rome Russian spiral scarf science seed beads shell silver soutache spiral rope spring square stitch St. Petersburg steampunk stringing stripes summer tagua TBT The Elements thread Tilas Time Capsule tools trade beads triangle weave tribal tropical turquoise tutorial two-hole beads Ugly vintage Wear it Twice weather white winter WIP wire wishlist wood World Beaders yellow
Blog Home * About * Beading Tutorials * Advertise

Learn About Sponsoring Inspirational Beading with Project Wonderful
Affiliated With ShareASale.com and Amazon.com