⏱️ 00:00 — Visual Progression
Hi friends. In today's video, I'm going to show you how to work a basic brick stitch row. And at the end, I'll also show you how to do a brick stitch decrease exactly like the one you see right here on this piece. Before we start, you should already have your base ready. It's just a straight row of beads lined up like this. If you're following my beaded fish pattern, you should already have a section like this. We always start in the top right corner, so make sure your thread is coming out of the top right bead. Now pick up two beads on the row below. You will have to find a little thread bridge between the first two beads on the right side. Slide your needle under that bridge and pull all the way through. At this point, you might have to push the beads with your finger so they sit flat and stack up nicely. Then you can go back up through the second bead you just added from bottom to top so that you come out at the top of that second bead. Pull tight and make sure the beads are into place. Now pick up one bead and find the next little bridge of thread on the row below. Pass your needle under that bridge and pull all the way through. Then pass your needle back up through that exact same bead from bottom to top so that your thread exits at the top. And now we can just repeat those same steps all the way across until there are no more bridges left. So pick up one bead, go under the next bridge, pull through, pass back up through the bead, and so on. >> [music]

⏱️ 01:51 — Visual Progression
>> to Start the next row, you need to flip your work around so that the thread is always exiting at the top right corner. And now we can just repeat the exact same process. Pick up two beads, go under the first thread bridge, pull through, gently push the beads so they stack up nicely, then go back through the second bead. And after that, we add one bead at a time. Pick up one bead, go under the next bridge, pull through, then pass back up through that bead.

⏱️ 02:26 — Visual Progression
And keep going like that all the way across the row. So for the first two rows we added, they were all the same length. We use every bridge all the way across to work our brick stitch. Now, if you want to make a decrease [music] so that your work gets smaller with every row, you start exactly the same way by flipping your work so that you're always starting from the top right corner. Pick up two beads. Go under the first bridge, pull through, and then go back up through the second bead. And after that, keep adding one bead at a time like we did before.

⏱️ 03:19 — Visual Progression
This time we stop early. So instead of using every single bridge, you leave the last bridge unworked. Depending on your pattern, you might even have to leave a few bridges unworked. And to get started on the next row, you flip it over again. Start from the top right corner and repeat the same steps. So pick up two beads, go under the first bridge, pull through, then go back up for the second bead. And then keep adding one bead at a time and leave the last bridge unworked.

⏱️ 03:57 — Visual Progression
And then again flip your work and start over. So row by row you add fewer beads and the rows get smaller and smaller every time. Thank you for watching and happy beading.