Technique: Knots and Tying Off (Photo Tutorial)

Tying off a finished piece of beadweaving is one of the most important steps to do well in a project. Regardless of whether your piece is completely finished, a single component is finished, or you've run out of thread and need to add more in order to keep building your piece, you must tie off your threads securely so that your finished work will not pull apart during wear. This tutorial, with photos and explanations, will teach you my method for securely ending a thread.

There are some basic guidelines that can help you remember the tying off techniques I'm about to demonstrate:
1.  Use multiple knots. Start with a pulled knot and follow with several half-hitch knots.
2.  Follow the thread path in order to minimize the appearance of your knots and maintain the shape of the weave.
3.  Never cut your thread directly next to a knot.

In general,  try to use a thread color that blends into your bead colors. This isn't always possible for various reasons, but using a color that doesn't obviously contrast will help reduce the visibility of both the thread paths and the knots used in tying off. In the images below, I've intentionally selected bead colors and a thread color which have high contrast with each other in order to make my steps more visible. (The stitch used in this tutorial is three-stack tubular herringbone.)

Step 1:  Leave sufficient tail.
This is something to keep in mind before you even begin your piece. Leave yourself enough of a tail thread to tie it off properly once the piece is finished. Since I work with long needles (typically 1.5" to 2"), I usually leave a tail that's 5" to 6" long so that I don't have to unthread my needle in order to tie knots.

Step 2:  Follow the thread path into the work to prepare to tie your first knot.
Once your piece of beadwork is ready to be tied off,  pass your needle through a few beads along the thread path to a spot where there is a thread bridge between beads that you can use to anchor your first knot.

The following steps explain how to make a pulled knot. I use a pulled knot as my first knot when tying off because it is very secure.

Step 3:  Pass the needle under the thread bridge.
Using a thread bridge adjacent to the point at which you have exited a bead, pass your needle under the thread bridge to which you wish to anchor your knot. It doesn't matter which direction you pass under the thread, but try not to pierce the thread as you pass under it, as this can weaken the finished knot.

Step 4:  Begin the pulled knot.
Pull your needle and thread under the thread bridge until a loop of thread remains that hasn't been tightened down.

Step 5:  Pull the working thread.
Reach through the loop created in the previous step and grasp the working thread. Draw the working thread through the loop to create a new loop. Tug on the working thread to tighten down the first loop.

Step 6:  Finish the pulled knot.
Once the first loop created in Step 3 has been tightened down and only the loop created in Step 5 remains, pass your needle and working thread through the remaining loop and tug on the working thread to tighten down the pulled knot.  Note: It's important that your loops do not twist before you pass thread through them, as this tends to create a knot which, once tightened down, has an extraneous loop extruding from the knot. This is unsightly and hard to hide and needs to be avoided.

Step 7:  Follow the thread path and hide the knot inside a bead.
Continue to follow the thread path for a few more beads. Tug on the working thread to encourage the pulled knot completed in Step 6 to nestle inside a the bead adjacent to it. This will help minimize the appearance of your knot and is very effective at hiding knots when your thread color is well-matched to your bead colors.

The following steps explain how to make a half-hitch knot. I followed my pulled knot with four or more half-hitch knots to secure the thread and reinforce the thread paths.

Step 8:  Prepare to begin the half-hitch knot.
Continue to follow the thread path for a few more beads. Pass your needle under an adjacent thread bridge, as in Step 3.

Step 9:  Begin the half-hitch knot.
Pull your needle and thread under the thread bridge until a loop of thread remains that hasn't been tightened down. As in Step 6, pass your needle through the existing thread loop.

Step 10:  Finish the half-hitch knot.
Draw your needle and working thread through the loop and tug on the working thread to tighten down the half-hitch knot.

Step 11:  Repeat until finished.
Tie several half-hitch knots, passing through several beads along the thread path in between each knot. After you've completed several half-hitch knots, pass through several more beads, pull the thread taut, and cut the thread close to the bead you just exited.

Step 12:  Tie off the tail.
Using the same steps detailed above for the working thread, securely tie off the tail and cut the thread to finish the piece.

I have seen discussions of tying off a piece which indicate that only one knot (or sometimes no knots at all!) is sufficient to finish a piece, especially one done in a stitch that's fairly tight. I disagree. If you want your finished piece to survive normal wear and tear for years to come, you must tie secure knots to end your thread, regardless of the stitch or thread type used.

Note that this tying-off procedure works for any type of thread. The thread you see in my sample images above is Nymo D, a multi-filament nylon thread, which has been stretched and waxed with Thread Heaven, a thread conditioner product.

As you gain experience with beadweaving and with this tying-off technique, you will learn tricks and good practices, such as what types of thread bridges permit for better-hidden knots. I can't teach you these things; they come from experience. The technique detailed here will get you started and ensure that your work does not fall apart.

Happy beading!

The photos in this tutorial were taken by Perry Gilbert. Thanks a bunch, Perry!