L is for LOVE by Marcia DeCoster

The first in the four letters you'll need to bead love!  The letters are all done in cubic right angle weave with a serif in the appropriate spots and a touch of embellishment to give them whimsy!

Starting with L will provide some of the basics since it's two straight pieces of bead work at right angles.

LOVE Letters Marcia DeCoster

The letters are about 2" (5cm) high and I've used size 11º seed beads for the L.

Notes: If you know me, you already know what I'm about to say about thread!  I use double waxed 6 lb. fireline to make the letters nice and firm.  When weaving CRAW I do not make a pass around the top four beads.  This is a personal choice, however if you are using double thread you may run into trouble with the extra pass. Feel free to experiment with other threads or use single and make more passes.

Supplies:  You'll need small amounts of a main color in size 11º and an even smaller amount for the serif.  Some size 15ºs will come in handy for adding the embellishments.  Make a nice collection of some O beads, 3 and 4 mm crystals, pearls, or fire polish, a few crystal sequins if you have them and whatever else strikes your fancy.

If you're not familiar with CRAW this video from Heather Collin is a good one to watch.  To be successful with the letters you should have a pretty good grasp of cubic right angle weave.  In this project you will be weaving not only a cube on top of a cube but cubes next to cubes as well,  to make a column that is 2-cube wide.


CRAW: Pickup 4 size 11 beads and tie in a circle. These are the floor beads. Pick up 3 beads (side, ceiling and side beads) and pass through the floor bead you are exiting from the opposite side (this forms the first wall) and the next floor bead. Pick up 2 11’s and pass through the side bead from the first wall, the floor bead and the next floor bead (this forms the second wall). Repeat for the third wall, adding 2 beads. Pass through the last floor bead and the side bead from the first wall. Pick up 1 bead and pass through the side bead of the third wall, the floor bead, the side bead of the first wall and the ceiling bead of the first wall.

Make a second CRAW cube attached to the first one by repeating all of the steps above. The ceiling of the first cube will become the floor of the second cube. Turn the two cubes horizontal and weave to exit a ceiling bead on the left of the 2 cubes as shown. (This was previously a side bead, when the work is turned it becomes a ceiling bead of that cube and a floor bead of the cube about to be built.)

When weaving cubes side by side you will be weaving 7 walls. The interior wall between the two cubes is a shared wall. Begin by picking up 3 seed beads and passing through the ceiling you are exiting.

The illustrations below show how the face of the cube has side beads as well as a floor and ceiling. Use the arrows to see in what order to build the walls. See below for how many beads each wall should have.


Wall 1: 3 beads

Wall 2: 2 beads (side is shared with Wall 1)

Wall 3: 2 beads (side bead is shared with Wall 2)

Wall 4: 1 bead (Pass through the shared floor bead and up through the first bead of wall one. Pick up the one ceiling bead and pass through the side bead of wall 3, the shared floor bead again and then through the floor bead for wall 5)

Wall 5: 2 beads (side is shared with Wall 1)

Wall 6: 2 beads (side is shared with Wall 5)

Wall 7: 1 bead (Pass through the floor bead of 7 and the shared side bead from Wall 3. Pick up the one ceiling beading pass through the shared side bead from wall 6, the floor bead from wall 7 and up through shared side bead from Wall 3 and 7, shown as arrow 8 in the illustration)

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With the work turned so that walls 3 and 7 are facing you, pass through the ceiling bead on the left. Repeat these steps an additional 11 times for a total of 13 rows of 2 cubes each.

Turn the work so the cubes you just finished are at the bottom and weave to exit an edge bead on the second row of cubes as shown. Build 5 rows, 2 cubes wide to complete the L.

Serifs: To add the serifs, in a contrasting size 11º weave to exit an edge bead. Pick up 3 size 11ºs and pass through the edge bead from the opposite side. Weave through a ceiling bead in that cube and pass through the corresponding edge bead on the back of the L. Repeat the 3 bead picot. Pass up through the first and second beads to exit the middle bead of the picot. Pass the thread through the middle picot bead on the front picot and back through the middle picot bead on the back. Weave to the edge bead for the next picot. If I have a lot of thread left I will pass the thread through the middle of the cubes up to the where the next picot needs to be placed.

If you need to stabilize the inside corner of the L you can run thread through the two edge beads on either side of the corner in both the front and the back.


Embellishments: Make yourself a pretty little pile of coordinated accent beads and choose a location on your letter to apply them. Use the working thread or weave in a new thread if necessary. Exiting a seed bead on the base of the letter, pick up an accent bead, a size 11º or 15º turning bead and pass back through the accent bead and an adjacent bead on the base. Repeat until you have a pleasing assortment of beads arranged on your letter.

Love Letters Marcia DeCoster

Stay tuned for next week and learn to bead an O!  Your on your way to more Bead L.O.V.E!

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Blogpost written by Marcia DeCoster

For a printable version click here.