Monday, November 13, 2006

Daisy Stitch Video Tutorial

The detached chain stitch, also known as the "lazy daisy" or just "daisy" stitch, is a pretty popular embroidery stitch. It's perfect, of course, for flowers, but can be used in lots of different ways.

Besides working daisy-type flowers with the detached chain stitch, you can also work the stitch as a ground stitch, to fill in parts of embroidery designs where you want a speckled effect, heavier, for example, than seeding. You can create background patterns with detached chain stitches, and play with the stitch in ways to create texture by overlapping stitches, or by "stippling" with them.

It would be interesting to hear from readers about how they have used this stitch in other ways, besides as flowers.

In the meantime, though, you can check out some embroidered flowers that use the detached chain. These embroidered daisies and the pansies on the buttonhole flowers page both make use of this stitch.

I like this example of lazy daisy stitch in action:


As you can see, these aren't daisies, but they come across pretty well with this stitch, I thought! They're worked in two strands of cotton overdyed floss.

Here's the video:



For more video tutorials for hand embroidery, please check out the Video Library of Stitches Index.

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16 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Excellent. Fantastic idea. It is so clear that it can be grasped by anyone so easily. Great work!!!

3/06/2007 11:30:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have just discovered - more or less by accident, your video library of stitches. I am incredibly grateful! THank you so much.
Ilene in Maryland

2/17/2008 07:14:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks, this is wonderfully helpful! I'll definitely use your video library in the future.

4/03/2008 07:17:00 PM  
Blogger MadeByAmanda said...

Fantastic! Thanks for taking the time to do this. I'd seen instructions in a book, but wasn't sure exactly how it went together.

7/25/2008 11:14:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks so much. I discovered your videos when trying to master the colonial knot and now I think I have!!!!

8/22/2008 07:05:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is a wonderful demonstration. Thank you!

9/20/2008 06:54:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

best video tutorial ever!!!!

12/11/2008 09:29:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is so very easy to follow! I've never been able to grasp it, and then i do all at once! This is great. This video library is great...good stuff!

Tee in Philadelphia

1/18/2009 07:46:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I used to do embroidery with my mother when I was very young, but since moving away and getting married, I've wanted to start again. Thank you so much for these videos. They not only remind me what my mother taught me, but I've learned some new tricks too. This is such a great, easy to understand site.

3/25/2009 12:14:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

dear Mary: I not speek english, pero I understand perfect your instructions, (I speek spanish) I from Nicaragua.
estoy aprendiendo a bordar con tus videos y me sirven mucho mucho.

Thank you, muchas muchas gracias, me has ayudado mucho con tus videos estoy aprendiendo a bordar y no tengo capacidad para pagar una clase. pero con tus videos es mas que suficiente.

saludes desde Nicaragua.

5/07/2009 06:06:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

dear mary: saludes desde Nicaragua,
I not speeking english, but I understanding, perfect your instructions, estoy muy agradecida con tus videos tutoriales, pues estoy aprendiendo a bordar desde las primeras puntadas y lo estoy haciendo con tus videos, te agradezco mucho el favor que haces al enseƱarnos a otras personas desde tierras tan lejanas como mi pais Nicaragua, no sabes cuanto bien produces con tus videos, de nuevo mis felicitaciones y ojala algun dia contestes estos mails.

saludes desde Nicaragua

mARTHA

5/07/2009 06:09:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

First, thank you very much for these tutorials. I have learned a lot.

Second, I've been asked to complete an embroidery piece. It is printed with tons of lazy daisy stitches. I don't particularly like daisy stiches. Any suggestions for alternatives?

5/08/2009 10:49:00 AM  
Anonymous Jenny said...

Thank you so much for your video instructions - for truly a picture is worth a thousand words!!!

Now that I have found your website, I know that I will be a frequent visitor!

7/25/2009 07:05:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you, Mary. I learned simply embroidery (cross stitch) as a child and haven't done it in decades. I've now come back to it and your tutorials are a life saver! Bravo!

8/24/2009 11:03:00 AM  
Anonymous Monica said...

I'm so thankful for this. I was doing a little mermaid cross stitch which just called for this stitch but didn't explain how to do it. I tried finding directions online but seeing it is much more comprehendable than reading it. Thanks!

10/21/2009 07:18:00 PM  
Blogger Jane said...

thank you so much for going to the trouble of producing thedse videos which are so instructive. I had no idea how to do a cretan stich, and your demonstration has helped and encouraged me. Jane

11/29/2009 06:24:00 AM  

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