Bull in brick stitch

As you know, 2021 is a year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac. On our site we already have a tutorial on how to make a 3D bull and today we will make another bull, a flat one. For beading we will use the technique of brick stitch. It is a simple beadwork that can be made fairly quickly if you have some experience in brick stitch beadweaving.

We will need:
- seed beads of seven colors; I used seed beads #8/0 of light-yellow, pink, gray, black, blue, grayish-pink and red colors;
- beading thread (use any kind of thread you prefer to work with) and one or two beading needles (depends on your style of making a ladder stitch  chain).

As I have already mentioned, for our beadwork we will use the technique of brick stitch.
We have got a lot of brick stitch tutorials on our site so before you start weaving the bull please learn the basics of that weaving technique in this, this and this tutorials.
If you can add extra beads in the beginning and in the end of the row, then you are ready to this beadwork.

For weaving take a 2 m long thread and start weaving on the middle of the thread.

The weaving pattern is provided below.
We will describe all the steps of the weaving process in detail.

Click to enlarge

Step 1.

For the 1st row choose a row with the largest quantity of beads.

For making this row use the technique of ladder stitch and weave a single chain consisting of 14 beads in the following sequence: 2 black, 6 light-yellow (to simplify the tutorial I will call beads of light-yellow color as just yellow further on), 2 pink, 4 gray.

Step 2.

In the beginning of the 2nd row string 1 gray bead and then continue weaving the row adding beads by one: 2 gray and 2 pink.

Step 3.

Now make the tip of the bull's ear in the 3rd row. It consists of 1 pink bead only.

Step 4.

Pass the thread so that it comes out from the nearest yellow bead in the 1st row.

Continue weaving the 2nd row and add 6 yellow beads by one.

Make the next row in a few steps:

Step 5.

At first, string 2 beads at once: 1 black and 1 yellow.

Step 6.

Pass the thread so that it comes out from the black bead and add another black bead afore.

Step 7.

Revert the thread to the yellow bead and continue weaving the row adding 4 yellow beads by one.

Step 8.

In the beginning of the row string 2 yellow beads at once and after that add beads by one: 3 yellow and 2 black.

Step 9.

In the beginning of the row string 2 black beads at once and then add 5 yellow beads one by one.

Step 10.

In the beginning of the row string 1 yellow bead and then add 2 yellow beads one by one.

We don't need this end of the thread any more thus fix it and cut off the tail.

Make further weaving using another end of the thread.

Step 11.

Attach 1 gray bead so that is makes up the tip of the horn.

Do it in the following way:

String the bead, pass the needle backwards through the last bead in the previous (1st) row then back through the center of the added bead and then again through the last bead in the 1st row.

Step 12.

Pass the thread so that it comes out from the 3rd gray bead in the 1st row (if we count from this end of the row).

Add beads by one: 2 gray, 1 pink, 1 yellow, 2 pink, 3 yellow, 2 black.

Step 13.

In the beginning of the row string 2 black beads at once and after that add beads by one: 3 yellow, 3 pink, 2 yellow, 1 gray.

Step 14.

In the beginning of the row string 2 beads at once: 1 black and 1 yellow, then add beads by one: 1 blue, 2 pink, 1 grayish-pink, 1 pink, 3 yellow.

Step 15.

Start weaving the next row in the same way as in Steps 5 and 6: string two beads at once (one black and one yellow), then attach another black bead afore, revert the thread to the yellow bead and after that continue weaving the row adding beads by one: 1 yellow, 1 red, 3 pink, 2 yellow, 1 black. Finish the row with an extra black bead.

Step 16.

In the beginning of the row string 1 black bead and then add beads by one: 1 yellow, 1 blue, 2 pink, 1 grayish-pink, 1 pink, 2 yellow, 2 black.

Step 17.

In the beginning of the row string 2 black beads at once.

Step 18.

After that pass the thread so that is comes out from the nearest pink bead in the previous row and continue weaving adding beads by one: 3 pink, 2 yellow, 1 gray.

Step 19.

In the beginning of the row string 2 gray beads at once and then continue adding by one: 1 pink, 1 yellow, 2 pink.

Step 20.

Pass the thread so that it comes out from the yellow bead in the just made row and weave a new row adding beads by one: 2 pink, 1 gray. After that in the end of the row attach 3 extra gray beads.

Step 21.

In the beginning of the row string 1 gray bead and after that add beads by one as well: 2 gray and 2 pink.

Step 22.

This row consists of 1 pink bead only (it's the tip of the bull's ear).

Step 23.

Pass the thread so that it comes out from the top of the nearest bull's horn and attach 1 gray bead (the tip of the horn).

Do it in the same way as in Step 11.

We don't need this end of the thread any more thus you may fix it right now.

To complete the bull we need to make its tail.

For making it take a new small piece of thread.

Step 24.

Using the technique of ladder stitch make a single chain out of 2 gray beads.

Step 25.

At one side of this small beaded chain attach 1 gray bead.

Step 26.

At the other side of the beaded chain attach 1 gray bead as well.

Step 27.

String 6 yellow beads

Step 28.

and fasten the tail to the bull's body passing the thread as it is shown in the pattern.

Now fix all the remaining ends of the thread.

The beaded bull is finished!

Once again, I remind you that if you want to make a 3D bull, find our tutorial for that bull here.

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