Chain Stitch and Variations

Chain Stitch creates a lovely textured line and has many variations to play with. Come up and down with the needle at the start of your line, leaving a loop. Come back up within the loop, a stitch length away, and pull to tighten the loop to desired tautness. End the chain with a small stitch tacking the loop down.  This is another nice linear stitch for lettering. 

 

     

    Reversed Chain Stitch starts at the “end” of chain stitch with the small tacking stitch (A-B). Come up through the fabric a stitch length away (C) and slip your needle under the tacking stitch (do not pierce the fabric) before coming back down through the same hole (C). Continue in a chain.

    Detatched Chain Stitch AKA Lazy Daisy is great for leaves and flowers. You can experiment with tension here, giving a thin or more rounded leaf/petal shape.  Here you create a series of single chains.