Up next in 10
The chain stitch is one of the most beautiful and versatile embroidery
stitches you can learn ā and in this tutorial I'll show you exactly how
to do it, nice and slowly, step by step, right inside your slow stitch book.
What we'll cover:
š§µ How to prepare your thread and needle
š§µ The chain stitch technique, broken down nice and slowly
š§µ Tips for keeping your loops neat and even
All you need is some fabric, a needle, and a little thread ā
nothing fancy, nothing expensive. Just have a play and enjoy the process.
š MAKE YOUR SLOW STITCH BOOK : https://youtu.be/8zCLRJG1lIc
š§µ STEM STITCH TUTORIAL: https://youtu.be/S4wr_nDdCxs
š§µ RUNNING STITCH TUTORIAL: https://youtu.be/srNTh1ZrIO8
š§µ BLANKET STITCH TUTORIAL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofnBmni1k4o
If you give this a go I'd love to hear how you get on ā
leave a comment below and let me know which stitch you'd like to see next!
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0:00
So, let me share with you some chain
0:02
stitches that I've done here in the
0:03
shape of a star.
0:05
Chain stitches, we tend to think of, you
0:06
know, there's one thing to do with it,
0:08
but actually you can do anything you
0:09
want. You could sew fabric down with it.
0:11
You can use it for embroidery. I think
0:13
it's a beautiful stitch. And what I'm
0:14
going to do today is show you how to do
0:17
the chain stitch yourself. So, you're
0:18
going to need a needle, preferably an
0:20
embroidery needle, or at least one where
0:21
the eye is big enough for the thread to
0:23
go through.
0:24
And we'll work on chain stitches just
0:26
like those,
0:28
but they're going to be in a straight
0:29
line on here.
0:30
So, the first thing you're going to need
0:31
is embroidery thread. Now, that's just
0:34
supposed to pull through, but you know,
0:35
sometimes they don't. I can't be the
0:37
only person that happens to.
0:39
If that happens to you, let me know in
0:41
the comments below um what it is we're
0:43
doing wrong when that happens to us. I
0:45
suspect it's just pulling the wrong end.
0:48
Anyway, you can use your embroidery
0:49
thread as it is, or as I often do, you
0:52
can divide it.
0:54
So, just divide it into three separate
0:56
strands,
0:58
and then take hold of those in one hand,
1:02
and run the finger from your other hand
1:04
down. Now, you should be holding this
1:05
vertically, and then the end can dangle
1:08
free and twist. And it's very
1:10
successful. Now, you can see I'm having
1:12
trouble trying to do it horizontally
1:13
today, so I won't bore you with it as I
1:16
sort that out. We'll just magically have
1:19
the thread done.
1:20
So, then you need to thread your needle.
1:22
You can wet the end and stick it
1:24
through, or as I do, wrap it tightly
1:26
around the needle, and then push that
1:28
through.
1:29
You want a long tail and a short tail.
1:32
The long tail wants a knot in the end,
1:34
and if you do one and it doesn't really
1:36
look big enough,
1:37
just do another.
1:39
And then you're ready to start.
1:43
And to start, sorry about rocking it
1:46
around. This is a problem of having your
1:47
camera near where you're working. When
1:49
you get all the
1:51
pulling it around with the knot, it can
1:52
jiggle the camera. Anyway, come up where
1:55
you want to start your stitching.
2:00
And then you're going to go back down
2:03
through the same place.
2:06
Okay? Back through the same hole.
2:09
But do not pull the thread all the way
2:12
through. You're going to keep a loop.
2:14
You can see I've got that loop around my
2:15
thumb.
2:17
Then come up as far along as the length
2:19
you want your stitch
2:22
and go through the loop. Now, it's up to
2:24
you how long that stitch is.
2:27
Get creative.
2:29
And then you're going to go back down
2:31
through the hole you've come out of,
2:33
which is still inside that loop.
2:36
Again, hold onto your loop. Come up as
2:39
far along as you want your stitch to be.
2:44
And then through that loop.
2:49
And on we go.
2:51
And we're going to keep repeating that.
2:54
So, you're going to go back down through
2:57
the same hole you came out of.
3:02
Keep hold of the loop.
3:05
Come up as far along as you want your
3:06
stitch to be.
3:10
If I can get it through.
3:12
And then through the loop.
3:15
And we're going to keep going doing
3:16
that. Now, don't pull it too tight. You
3:19
want that little loop. You want it to
3:20
look like chain.
3:22
Don't leave it so loose that it it looks
3:24
untidy, but don't pull it too tight.
3:28
And
3:29
sometimes what can happen is your thread
3:31
starts to get a bit twisted and your
3:34
loops twist up. And if so, just let the
3:36
needle dangle so that it the what the
3:39
the wind
3:41
Gosh, where's my brain? So, that the
3:43
thread untwists.
3:46
Okay? And then you can carry on.
3:49
And it's a lovely stitch to do. And
3:52
don't be afraid to use it as an outline
3:54
stitch or on curves or as I say you can
3:58
use it so your fabric down and your slow
4:00
stitching book. I've used it like that.
4:02
It's just a great little stitch.
4:06
And
4:07
if you're thinking of doing a slow
4:09
stitching book and you've never done one
4:10
before or you're intrigued
4:13
I've got a video which I'll put on the
4:14
description below and on the screen um
4:18
that shows you how I make mine. There
4:20
are lots of ways of doing it but I like
4:22
to work on separate pages like this
4:25
and then assemble it into a book. A lot
4:27
of people make a book
4:29
and then
4:31
slow stitch in it. But this is the way I
4:33
quite like to do it. It means I can just
4:35
take a page and a few bits of embroidery
4:38
thread out with me and sew wherever I
4:40
am.
4:41
Um I don't have to take the whole
4:42
project.
4:44
And as I'm sure you can see on here I'm
4:46
doing a series of Ah, did you see? Got
4:49
my my thread twisted up there and I'm
4:51
having to just make sure it's not
4:52
twisted. You don't want a twisted loop.
4:56
Anyway, I was saying that I'm doing a
4:58
series of these stitches. So if you're
5:00
looking for the running stitch and the
5:01
stem stitch
5:03
they came before the chain stitch. If
5:04
you're looking for the others I've got
5:06
on there, so I'm definitely going to be
5:07
doing the back stitch
5:09
some French knots, satin stitch, cross
5:13
stitch.
5:14
They may or may not be in the series but
5:16
if you subscribe
5:18
now and hit the notifications
5:21
you will get to know when they all come
5:23
live. So you can learn all these
5:24
different stitches and see how I'm using
5:26
them.
5:27
Also, this book that I'm working on, I
5:29
will do a video on that when it's
5:31
complete so you can have a little look
5:33
through at what I included in mine.
5:36
So I've sped this bit up because you
5:39
know, I think you've got the hang of it
5:40
now but I would like to show you how I
5:42
finished at the end.
5:45
So I'll just keep going. You can see my
5:47
thread's getting shorter. Gets a little
5:49
bit more of a challenge. So, you'll
5:51
might end up just changing your thread.
5:53
So, I'm going to go down as normal, and
5:56
I'm going to come up right where I want
5:58
my stitching to finish.
6:01
And go through my loop, exactly as
6:02
normal.
6:04
And then to finish, I'm going to go back
6:06
down, but I'm going to go over that
6:08
thread
6:10
so that it uh holds it in place.
6:13
Just to secure it right on the end.
6:17
And then onto the back, and you can just
6:20
weave through those stitches to secure
6:23
it.
6:24
Or you could do put it through the
6:25
stitch, and then make a little knot by
6:27
going through the loop. It's entirely up
6:29
to you.
6:30
And then just cut off your thread.
6:33
And there you go. You've mastered the
6:35
chain stitch, and I hope you're going to
6:36
use it in lots of embroidery projects.
6:39
So, happy stitching.
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