Saturday, April 25, 2026

Free Silly Sheep Beading Pattern (2014, 2015)

I usually have a reason behind my beaded creations, but I can't recall the tale about the sheep with the books in the first image (2014). It doesn't mean this design isn't close to my heart, though it might be a reminder that reading a good bedtime story and counting sheep are always great ways to get to lalaland. 📖🐑😴

The second sheep includes modifications made to the original design for the 2015 Year of the Sheep (Chinese zodiac calendar).

Both of these diagrams are made on a horizontal brick stitch chart. I used Delica 11/0 beads to complete the project. 

I'm now sharing the patterns for free on Kandi Pad. If you are interested in Silly Sheep 1 and 2, and would like to download the beading diagrams, jump over to my beading space and leave me a comment. I'd like to know if you're enjoying my designs!

©2014 Sheep 1, bead design by Bead Crumbs

©2015 Sheep 2, bead design by Bead Crumbs

I’m happy to share my designs with you and encourage you to enjoy beading them! Feel free to trade, collect, gift, or sell your creations. It means a lot to me when my patterns are appreciated. If you find inspiration and re-create or alter my designs, please credit me (Bead Crumbs). Please don't sell or claim my patterns as your own. I’d love it if we could support each other. Thanks for your understanding and happy beading!

My pattern shop: BeadCrumbs.Etsy.com. 
Free Kandi Pad patterns: https://kandipad.com/profile/beadcrumbs 

© Bead Crumbs and www.beadcrumbs.blogspot.com, 2010.
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Monday, April 20, 2026

Why I Test My Bead Patterns

So why do I test my beading patterns before I post them for sale on my website? 

 

Well, more often than not, the final piece doesn’t match the diagram I made. Sometimes it just doesn’t turn out as I imagined. A lot of the design process involves tweaking things, like swapping out bead colors, changing shapes, adding or removing details, or even starting from scratch before introducing the final "tadaaa!" piece.

 

I really don’t want buyers to feel disappointed if they spend money and time making something that doesn’t match up with what they expected!


Here's an example of a mismatch:

I wanted to share this brick stitch dog design I created and put it up on Kandi Pad! It’s a free design, and Kandi Pad lets you remix and build on other people's designs, so I didn't test it. Users can make their own changes if they want to.

Dog Diagram

When I got around to stitching up the dog, this is how it turned out. 

Hmmm...not the same! The proportions are different, which I feel takes away from how I really wanted the dog to look - round, cuddly, and cute. 

Dog Beadwork

I feel it's essential for bead designers to test the patterns we sell to our customers...because beading does take up their time, energy, creative motivation, and bucks that could be spent elsewhere!

I also feel it's very important for consumers to recognize the original pattern designer by providing credit...because pattern making demands effort, skill, creativity, time, energy, and more than a few bucks!

I hope we can all celebrate this craft together!
© Bead Crumbs and www.beadcrumbs.blogspot.com, 2010.
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