Embroidery Ideas How the patterns are made
Lazy daisy stitch on cotton: daisies of three sizes
Lazy daisy stitch, generated from the same geometry as the practice sheet

Embroidery stitches / Lazy daisy stitch

Lazy daisy stitch

A lazy daisy is a single chain loop held down at its tip, used for petals and leaves. Come up at the base of the petal, go back down in the same hole to make a loop, come up at the tip inside the loop, and go down just past it with a tiny stitch. Five or six petals around a centre make a daisy.

  • Beginner
  • Detached stitch
  • 6, 8, 10 mm petals

Free practice sheet

Daisies with petals of three sizes, with a dot at the base and the tip of every petal

Print at "Actual size" (100%), then check that the scale bar measures 5 cm, so the marks are true to size. Trace the dots onto fabric. Each petal is a loop from its base dot to its tip dot.

In real thread

Five lazy daisy loops in white floss on yellow cotton, in a hoop
Five lazy daisy loops, each held by a small tack at its tip. Photo: Most Craft (mostcraft.com), via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, 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. Lazy daisy stitch, step 1: Come up at 1, at the base of the petal. Go down at 2, in the same hole, leaving a loop. Come up at 3, at the tip of the petal, inside the loop.

    Come up at 1, at the base of the petal. Go down at 2, in the same hole, leaving a loop. Come up at 3, at the tip of the petal, inside the loop.

  2. Lazy daisy stitch, step 2: Pull the loop snug around the needle and go down at 4, just past the loop, with a tiny stitch that tacks it down.

    Pull the loop snug around the needle and go down at 4, just past the loop, with a tiny stitch that tacks it down.

  3. Lazy daisy stitch, step 3: Work every petal the same way, each one starting at the centre. Five petals make a simple daisy.

    Work every petal the same way, each one starting at the centre. Five petals make a simple daisy.

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

Front and back

Lazy daisy stitch, front and back of the same stitches

Behind each petal is one straight stitch from the centre to the tip (the tack that holds the loop is on the front); then the floss travels from the tack back to the centre for the next petal. Working the petals around the flower keeps those jumps short.

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

Tips

  • Petals of 6 mm (1/4 in), 8 mm (5/16 in), 10 mm (3/8 in) are easy sizes; mark the centre and the tips first (the practice sheet has the dots).
  • Start every petal from the same small circle around the centre, not the centre point, so the middle does not get crowded.
  • Pull the loop gently: a tight loop makes a thin petal, a loose one a fat petal. Keep them all the same.
  • Fill the centre with a French knot or a few small satin stitches.

Common mistakes

  • Petals that slide sideways: the tacking stitch is missing or too long.
  • A loop that disappears to the back: the needle went down outside the first hole instead of in it.
  • A lopsided flower: mark the tips before you stitch, evenly around the centre.

Patterns to use it on

French knot
The classic daisy centre.
Chain stitch
The same loop, linked into a line.

Questions

Why is it called a lazy daisy?
It is a single, detached chain loop rather than a linked chain, and a few of them make a daisy. It is also called detached chain stitch.
How many strands for lazy daisy petals?
Two or three strands of six-strand floss; three gives fuller petals.
Can lazy daisy stitches make leaves?
Yes. One loop on its own, or two side by side along a stem, makes a simple leaf.

More stitches

Sources

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