Embroidery Ideas How the patterns are made
Chain stitch on cotton: straight rows, waves, a circle and a spiral
Chain stitch, generated from the same geometry as the practice sheet

Embroidery stitches / Chain stitch

Chain stitch

Chain stitch is a line of loops, each one holding the next. Come up at the start, go back down in the same hole to make a loop, come up a stitch length along inside the loop, and pull it snug. Then go down inside that loop to start the next one. Finish with a tiny stitch over the last loop. Loops of about 3.5 mm (1/8 in) work well.

  • Beginner
  • Line stitch
  • 3.5 mm loops

Free practice sheet

Straight lines, curves, a circle and a spiral, with a dot where every loop starts

Print at "Actual size" (100%), then check that the scale bar measures 5 cm, so the marks are true to size. Trace the lines onto fabric. Each loop runs from one dot to the next.

In real thread

A line of chain stitch in red floss on white cotton, with the needle through the next loop
Chain stitch in red floss, with the needle through the next loop. Photo: Alicia Fagerving, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped.

Before you start

  • Needle: an embroidery (crewel) needle, size 7 to 9 for two or three strands. Its long eye takes floss easily.
  • Strands: six-strand floss comes as six thin threads twisted together. Cut about 45 cm (18 in), pull out the strands you need one at a time, then lay them back together.
  • Starting: for the first thread, tie a small knot at the end and come up from the back. For line stitches, a waste knot is neater: knot the end, go down on the front about 5 cm (2 in) away along your line, stitch toward it so your stitches cover the tail on the back, then cut the knot off.
  • Finishing: on the back, slide the needle under three or four stitches, then trim. Once there are stitches on the back, start each new thread by sliding it under them too, without a knot.

Step by step

  1. Chain stitch, step 1: Come up at 1. Go down at 2, in the same hole, and leave a loop of thread on the front; hold it down with your thumb so it does not pull through. Come up at 3, one stitch length along the line and inside the loop, then pull gently until the loop lies flat.

    Come up at 1. Go down at 2, in the same hole, and leave a loop of thread on the front; hold it down with your thumb so it does not pull through. Come up at 3, one stitch length along the line and inside the loop, then pull gently until the loop lies flat.

  2. Chain stitch, step 2: Go down at 4, in the same hole as 3 and inside the loop, leaving a new loop. Come up at 5, inside it. Each new loop holds the one before.

    Go down at 4, in the same hole as 3 and inside the loop, leaving a new loop. Come up at 5, inside it. Each new loop holds the one before.

  3. Chain stitch, step 3: Repeat along the line, pulling each loop to the same size.

    Repeat along the line, pulling each loop to the same size.

  4. Chain stitch, step 4: To finish, go down at 6, just past the end of the last loop, with a tiny stitch that holds it down.

    To finish, go down at 6, just past the end of the last loop, with a tiny stitch that holds it down.

Filled dot: the needle comes up. Ring: the needle goes down.

Faster: the sewing method

Chain stitch worked with the sewing method: the needle loaded through the cloth in one move

Make each link in one move: take the needle down in the hole the floss came out of (1) and up one link ahead (2), pass the floss under the needle tip, then pull through. Pull until the loop lies on the fabric without squeezing it.

Solid needle: on top of the cloth. Dashed: underneath.

Front and back

Chain stitch, front and back of the same stitches

Each link is one move underneath, from the hole the floss came out of to the start of the next link, so the back is a row of backstitch-length stitches. If the back shows gaps or long jumps, a link went down in a new hole instead of the same one.

The back is drawn as if seen through the cloth, so its holes line up with the front.

Tips

  • Keep loops the same size: about 3.5 mm (1/8 in) long. Pull each one only until it sits flat around the thread.
  • Go down inside the loop, in the hole you came up from. Going down outside it breaks the chain.
  • Chain stitch covers curves well; make the loops shorter on tight bends.
  • Three strands of six-strand floss make a full, round chain; two strands look finer.

Common mistakes

  • Loops that pull through to the back: the needle went down outside the loop.
  • Uneven links: pulling some loops tighter than others. Pull each one with the same gentle tug.
  • A last loop that flops open: it needs the small tacking stitch at the end.

Patterns to use it on

Embroidery letters
Chain stitch makes bold, rounded letters: use a larger capital height and the same traced line.
Lazy daisy stitch
One chain loop on its own, tacked down, is a lazy daisy petal.

Questions

Is chain stitch the same as a lazy daisy?
A lazy daisy is a single, detached chain loop. Chain stitch links the loops into a line.
How do I end a chain stitch line?
Go down just past the end of the last loop to tack it, then finish the thread under the stitches on the back.
Can I do chain stitch in a hoop?
Yes. In a tight hoop, work it as a stab stitch: down, then up, one movement at a time, holding the loop with your thumb.

More stitches

Sources

Updated