Create Solid Lines and Fills with the Chain Stitch
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Another basic embroidery stitch to become familiar with is the chain stitch. It can create some nice solid lines with volume, lovely texture that resembles crochet stitches when used as a fill.
As the name suggests, a chain stitch resembles a chain and is created using loops which are connected to each other. It's a strong bold stitch that can give certain parts of your embroidery work more attention, kind of like the thick lines you often see in old school tattoo art.
How to Make The Chain Stitch
Start by creating a small loop:
- Come up then back down through the same hole (or very close to it).
- Push your needle halfway up through your loop one stitch length away.
- You can go ahead and pull your needle all the way through and allow the loop to fall into place as the thread tightens.
- Or… before you pull the needle all the way through, pull the thread tight from the back until the thread hugs your needle, then pull your needle through. This is an optional step.
- To make the next chain stitch, return to the back of your fabric at the same spot you last came up, which is through your loop. Leave it a bit loose on top to form another loop.
Repeat these steps until you've reached a happy length. To end the stitch, add a small stitch to the end of your last loop.
If you want to fill in a shape, just lay rows of chain stitches next to each other to create beautiful texture! How cute is that? Texture and character! It can be super close to each other for a tighter fill or spread them out for a more open fill where bits of fabric show through.
Take a peek at my embroidery stitch tutorials blog section to learn more stitches!
Chain Stitch Video Tutorial