Nicole Starman shares in her latest e-book some of the architectural possibilities of your designs by incorporating these essential stitching methods. At the end of this article there is also a new pattern using QuadraTiles. She also provides a helpful table which includes the dimensions and names for CzechMates.
Here are some extra tips on the stitching technique as well. 
Baste Stitching
A baste stitch is a temporary stitch that will be removed once the permanent
stitch has been added. These stitches help keep your work in alignment when you
need to connect multiple components together in a specific sequence. It is best
to work with a contrasting colored thread so that it is easy to tell the difference
between working thread from the temporary thread.
Dimensional Design
When working with CzechMates®, I recommend starting with loose tension, then
cinching up slack and setting the tension as you build multiple layers. This allows you
to control the tension throughout the whole design and keeps the foundation of the
piece strong and flexible.
Even Stitching
Baste stitches help manage excess slack until you are ready to add the final layers.
They also help keep the tension even when adding netting. You won’t need to tug and
pull on the thread to keep the base aligned.
The Hinge Stitch
As in the construction of buildings, a hinge is a movable joint that swings and connects linked objects. This gives us the ability to build exible, dimensional designs without causing stress to the thread.
Single Thread Hinge
Single thread hinge is when the 2-hole bead pivots around the thread passing through a hole. The bead moves freely on the thread unless it is anchored by the second hole.
Double Thread Hinge
The double thread hinge is when the bead pivots from the picot centered between its two holes, forming the hinge perpendicularly. The center picot is a shared bead that must be passed through twice in order to link two components together.
The Accordion Stitch
This stitch gets its name from the way it expands and contracts in an undulating, controlled manner. It is a combination of two-hole beading techniques that form a strong, exible foundation on which to build a limitless variety of dimensional designs.
Asymmetrical bead shapes are complementary to their mirrored selves and create a variety of design opportunities when used together. The Crescent, for example, has both a convex and concave edge, which makes for both soft and spikey textures
As with symmetrical CzechMates, Asymmetrical shapes are anchored by the second hole, however the way the bead is oriented within a design is determined by which hole is passed through rst. Choosing the wrong hole may cause the bead to be incorporated upside down.
Tips and Hints – The Fashion Advantage of Asymmetrical CzechMates®
Asymmetrical CzechMates® create design opportunities that are not possible with one-hole pressed beads. These abstract shapes are unique for they aren’t typically represented in beadweaving. Most traditional shapes have the hole through the center or top of the bead and are designed to look the same no ma er how they roll or hang on a thread. It’s very difficult to create a well-balanced design using beads that change shape as they spin! Asymmetrical CzechMates® are anchored into place, which allows you to use their shape and strategic hole placement to your advantage, allowing for more texturally diverse and spatial designs. Advancements in dimensional jewelry design concepts and the shared learning of these new techniques has had a profound impact on fashion jewelry.
Easy Orientation Hints
To help prevent rework, lay the beads out on your mat and have them all face the same direction before you start your work.
Most instructions will indicate how to orient the beads on your mat and which hole to pass your needle through rst, right, or left. Once the bead has been strung, the left and right orientation no longer applies since you may be passing through the remaining hole from the opposite direction. From this point it is more accurate to refer to the unused hole as the “second” open hole.
If you get discombobulated while picking up beads and can’t gure out right from left, the easiest way to get reoriented is to pick up the bead from your mat, hold it into the correct position in the design, then pass through the corresponding hole.
The Quadra Series
Working with the QuadraTile: The CzechMates QuadraTile is an advanced dimensional bead. When passing through the rst hole, it doesn’t ma er which hole you pick up because the bead can rotate on the needle in any direction, as shown here. The second hole anchors the bead in place, so be sure to turn the bead in the desired direction before completing the second stitch.
Connecting Thread: I recommend tying on thread directly to an upper QuadraTile for each row. This securely anchors the thread into place and the knot will not show once the top embellishment layers are added.
New Pattern!
Eureka Crystal Beads Blog 