There are many variations on the chain stitch used in hand embroidery. Here's one that produces a "realistic-looking" chain, with a small link between each of the loops in the chain stitch. It's called the cable chain stitch.

This stitch can be worked in lines, around curves, in circles - any way that you would normally use a chain stitch, except perhaps as a filling. That's not to say it couldn't be used as an interesting filling! I haven't tried it, but I would imagine that, worked in rows, alternating the location of the stitches in each row, it would make an interesting filling.

This is what the cable chain stitch looks like when worked:



The stitch begins the same way a chain stitch does, but after the first loop of the chain is created, you wrap your thread once around the needle and insert the needle on the other side of your first chain stitch loop (instead of inside it, like with the chain stitch). Then you make another chain stitch, and continue in that fashion.

Here in the video, I'm working down a line, from top to bottom, but the stitch can easily be worked from right to left (for right-handed stitchers - left to right for left-handed stitchers).



The list of hand embroidery video tutorials is still growing, so stay tuned!

Labels: beginner embroidery, Hand embroidery stitches, video tutorials