Chain stitch is like a nice pair of boots. It adds texture, colour and interest to a piece without drawing all the attention to itself. It is basically a bunch of lazy daisy stitches together in a row. Putting a bunch together makes it more of a background stitch compared to lazy daisies that yell for attention.
Once you learn how to do the basic chain stitch, the variations will be easy. You will discover lots of uses for it in your embroidery projects.
When to use chain stitch
- outlining
- borders
- stripes
- fillers
- vines
- branches
- snakes, caterpillars or any other long creepy animals
Types of chain stitch
Basic chain stitch
Bring the needle up to the surface.
Put the needle in the same hole (or very close to it) that the thread came up and take a small stitch. Catch the thread under the needle. Pull thread through. This should look like the start of a lazy daisy.
Instead tacking the loop down, put the needle in the hole you just came out of of, and repeat.
Continue for as long as you want the line to be. Tack down the final stitch when you get to the end.
Lines can be straight, curved, long or short. Â Chain stitch is very versatile.
Lazy Daisy
aka: detatched chain stitch
Lazy daisy is a single link on its own. These can be used individually, but they are commonly used in groups to make flowers.
Wrapped chain stitch
Wrapping a chain stitch with another thread gives a different look to it.
Open chain
aka: square chain, Roman chain
This stitch doesn’t look like the basic chain stitch, but it is done in a similar manner.
Chain stitch in embroidery projects
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Elizabeth DeCroos
designer, teacher, speaker
Elizabeth enjoys doing all types of sewing and needlework and teaching others new techniques. Find out how to take a course or workshop.