Feb 18 2009
Ndebele or Herringbone Stitch
Ndebele is a bead technique named after an African tribe from which it is thought to have originated. It is also known as Herringbone stitch, so named because of the v shapes formed by each two bead stitch. Herringbone or Ndebele, like most bead techniques has a wide variety of applications and possibilities. The picture above shows a twisted herringbone rope, a herringbone fan pendant and a flat herring bone bracelet. The pattern for the bracelet is called Jewel of India and was designed by Kathleen Kimball-Baker. It appeared in Beadwork magazine, but I no longer have the magazine, so I can’t tell you which issue it was.
The twisted rope is a classic stitch and the fan pendant is my design. Well really it was a doodle. I was just experimenting with herringbone to see what I could mold it into. It turned out to be one of the “keeper” doodles.
You can find a wonderfully easy to understand tutorial for flat herringbone in the Whim Beads “classroom”. Bead Bugle has basic tutorials for flat herringbone, tubular herringbone, and herringbone increase.
