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How to Follow a Bead Pattern

How to Follow a Bead Pattern

While bead patterns for weaving beads on a loom vary depending on how they are made, they generally consist of four parts:

-An image of the pattern
-A bead list
-A pattern diagram
-A word chart

Have a bead pattern you want to follow, but not sure how? This guide will show you! 

While bead patterns for weaving beads on a loom vary depending on how they are made, they generally consist of four parts:

-An image of the pattern
-A bead list
-A pattern diagram
-A word chart

The image shows you what the whole bead weaving looks like.

title page for bead pattern

The bead list shows you what the beads look like, gives each bead a symbol (for example A, B, C or D), a bead description and lists the number of each bead in the pattern.

bead pattern bead list

The pattern diagram uses the bead symbols to show you exactly which beads go there.

bead pattern chart

The word chart does this as well, listing out the number of each beads and the symbols. For example one row might look like this: 

Row 68: 1B, 1A, 1C, 5B, 1A, 2B, 1C, 1A

This would mean you weave one of whatever bead is associated with the symbol B, one of A, 1 of C, five of B, one of A, two of B, one of C, one of A, etc. 

bead pattern word chart

To begin, start at row one either in the pattern diagram, word chart or both! That's it! Continue following the pattern until the end. 

Want to download the pattern for the bead weaving featured in this post? Click here.