Now we'll go over covering up that first tiny stitch! Try to space your chain stitches so that you have room for just one more when you get around to the original chain stitch.īring your needle up through the middle of the first chain stitch! Bring it up right below the last chain stitch and pass it under the chain to keep on stitching. The back of the chain stitch will look like this - just like a very nice backstitch, oddly enough! As you can see, I've knotted it and am ready to start my new piece of floss.įlip the hoop back over and thread a new needle and knot the floss. Finish the last chain stitch you can and then knot the floss on the back.

When you run out of floss, it's easy to stop and start again. Forcing it through can cause all kinds of ugly problems. Instead, remove the needle and try pushing it under again without snagging the floss. If you're having to force it, you're not going UNDER the floss, you're trying to push THROUGH it.

Never try to force your needle when pushing it under the chain stitches. Then, push your needle under the chain stitch and put your needle through to the backside of the fabric at the bottom of the new chain stitch you're making. To keep going with the chain stitch, just keep bringing the needle to the front of the fabric a little less than a 1/4 inch away from the last chain. Pull the floss through to tighten, and TA-DAAAAA! Your first chain stitch. Now, insert your needle in the same hole (or right next to) where you came up next to the tiny stitch! To insert your needle into the same hole, use a finger on the hand holding the hoop to pull the knot in the floss out of the way. Place your needle through the loop and pull on the floss - the loop will close with your floss under it. Pull the thread through gently so you don't pull the loop closed. Leave a small loop instead of pulling the stitch tight.īring your needle up to the left of the tiny stitch, a little less than a 1/4 inch away. Now, starting anywhere along the outer pattern line, make a tiny stitch, about 2-3 threads wide. Thread a needle with between 12-18 inches of floss and knot the end. Here is a quick video to show how the chain stitch is done - it's sped up slightly for ease of watching:Īnd now I'll walk you through it in pictures! I prefer the shorter chains, but longer ones can almost look like scales or tiny feathers. We're using the chain stitch for this because it's a beautiful but simple decorative stitch.ĭepending on how long you make your stitches, the look of the chains will change. First, we'll tackle the border of the design.

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