Bead Crochet

Bead Crochet Projects

Bead Crochet Patterns, Tutorials, Books, Supplies and More

There’s something irresistible about beads.


Gaze at a bead, and you’ll see that its small surface is a microcosm of color, texture and shine. When you begin putting groups of beads together, you’ll discover limitless possibilities for creating patterns, color combinations, and symmetries.

Beads are delightful on their own, but when you combine them with techniques like crochet, the results can be spectacular.


This page is dedicated to the topic of bead crochet and all its aspects: bead crochet patterns, bead crochet tutorials, bead crochet stitches, bead crochet books, bead crochet supplies, bead crochet history and more.

Here's an example of a bead crochet project you might want to try. This is one of the loveliest crochet projects I have ever designed; I call this the Elegant Trios Bead Crochet Necklace Pattern. It was originally published in Sharon H. Silverman's pattern book called Delicate Crochet, and is now also available as a standalone digital pattern, too. But no worries if this isn't the type of bead crochet project you're interested in working on right now; please keep reading to find many more bead crochet patterns and project ideas.
Here’s an example of a bead crochet project you might want to try. This is one of the loveliest crochet projects I have ever designed; I call this the Elegant Trios Bead Crochet Necklace Pattern. It was originally published in Sharon H. Silverman’s pattern book called Delicate Crochet, and is now also available as a standalone digital pattern, too.

But no worries if this isn’t what you had in mind for your next crochet project; please keep reading to find many more bead crochet patterns and project ideas.

Bead Crochet Supplies

Bead Crochet Supplies: Crochet Thread and Beads. Not Pictured: Crochet Hook, Scissors, Wire and Wire Cutters.

You’ll need the following supplies to succeed with bead crochet:

  • A crochet hook
  • Beads
  • Crochet thread, yarn, wire or similar material
  • Scissors or wire cutters
  • A beading needle or Tapestry needle; the eye on your needle needs to be smaller than the holes in your beads, so it can comfortably fit through the beads when you string them.
  • A bead organizer is optional, but it’s extremely helpful if you have a lot of beads, jewelry findings and jeweler’s tools to organize.
  • Jewelry findings and jeweler’s tools are useful if you’re incorporating bead crochet into beaded jewelry projects, but these items are not typically needed for other types of bead crochet projects.

Beads can get heavy, so it’s wise to consider what the total overall weight of the project will be when you choose all your supplies. Small seed beads are popular for bead crochet because their small size and light weight are ideal for minimizing the projects’ weight. You can use large or heavy beads sparingly as long as you take care that your projects do not get too heavy to be practical.

Free Bead Crochet Patterns and Tutorials

Bead Crochet Jewelry Patterns

Bracelets:

Necklaces and Chokers:

Bead Crochet Napkin Rings

Bead Crochet Appliques and Motifs

Bead Crochet Pincushion Edging (You can use this beaded edging on other types of projects, too)

Bead Crochet Edging for a Pincushion -- Get the Free Pattern and Instructions for Both the Pincushion and the Beaded Edging Here on Our Website
Bead Crochet Edging for a Pincushion — Get the Free Pattern and Instructions for Both the Pincushion and the Beaded Edging Here on Our Website

This page includes instructions for sewing a pincushion and applying a simple bead crochet edging to the piece. Once you’ve learned how to do this edging, you could make it and apply it to just about any type of project that could benefit from a beaded edge.

Bead Crochet Stitches

Bead Crochet Techniques

“Bead crochet” isn’t actually a single technique; you could think of it more as a grouping of closely-related techniques that share common elements. There are bunches of different ways you could approach the task of combining beads with crochet. Additionally, you can combine multiple bead crochet techniques into one piece, making for complex and fascinating finished projects.


The following gives you an overview of several major types of bead crochet techniques you could encounter. This is not a comprehensive list of techniques, but it covers some of the more popular configurations.


A Bead Incorporated Into Each Crochet Stitch — The basic idea: you begin crocheting a stitch, and you stick a bead somewhere into the stitch before completing it.


Beads Incorporated Into the Work in Between Crochet Stitches — The basic idea: you crochet a stitch from start to finish. Then you slide a bead, or multiple beads, into the work, before proceeding with the next stitch.


Beads Sewn or Embroidered Into the Work After Crocheting Is Complete –Here you finish crocheting a piece, and then afterwards you stitch beads onto the completed piece of crochet.


Beads Strung Onto Yarn, Thread or Wire and Crochet Is Worked Around Them — See the blue and white beaded snowflake motif and the heart-shaped frame applique pictured above for examples of this technique.

Bead Crochet Books

  • Crochet Stitch Dictionary
  • The Beaded Edge 2 — This book is a sequel to the first Beaded Edge book. It features patterns for spectacular beaded crochet edgings you can use to finish off just about any type of clothing or sewn item. The beaded trims you can make from these patterns are appropriate for use on home decor items, tops, jeans, purses, Christmas stockings, Christmas ornaments and many other types of craft projects.
  • Crochet Master Class — This book could teach you a wide variety of different crochet techniques, including bead crochet and bunches of others.
  • Click here to see more of the best bead crochet books.

The Best Bead Organizers

The Artbin Solutions Cabinet Is a Versatile Craft Organizer That's Ideal for Storing Beads, Charms, Closures, Findings, Craft Wire and Similar Supplies. If You Enjoy Bead Crochet, Bead Knitting, Jewelry Making or Other Crafts, You'll Probably Want to Own One or More of These Organizers.
The Artbin Solutions Cabinet Is a Versatile Craft Organizer That’s Ideal for Storing Beads, Charms, Closures, Findings, Craft Wire and Similar Supplies. If You Enjoy Bead Crochet, Bead Knitting, Jewelry Making or Other Crafts, You’ll Probably Want to Own One or More of These Organizers.

There are zillions of fantastic bead organizers available — but out of all the ones I’ve tested, my favorite is one by Artbin that is apparently no longer being made. The thing I like best about it: It has space for tools and findings in addition to the beads, so I can keep all my bead crochet supplies organized neatly together.


I went looking for the latest, most updated version of this organizer, and the most comparable current replacement I could find is this storage box with pivoting trays. I’ve added this organizer to my wish list, because it looks like there would be a lot less wasted space in the newer design than there is in the discontinued organizer I’m using.


If you don’t do a massive amount of jewelry making aside from bead crochet, this sort of solution could be ideal. But if jewelry making is your art form of choice, this type of organizer might not be what you want, because you might need an organizer that’s more suitable specifically for organizing jewelry tools. So that just depends on your current needs.


In any case, I would recommend taking a look at Artbin’s organizers to find a bead organizer that would best meet your needs. They have craft organizers suitable for every purpose!

Bead Crochet History

Anna Valeire's Beaded Bags
Anna Valeire’s Beaded Bags

Bead crochet is a vast topic with a fascinating history. If you’d like to see pictures of vintage bead crochet projects including beaded bags and beaded jewelry, you’re invited to visit any of the following links:

More Crochet, Crafts, Hobbies and DIY Projects:

Find More Craft Project Ideas HERE!

Posted By: Amy Solovay


This page was last updated on 12-28-2025.