Chain stitch is one of my favourite embroidery stitches as it can add some wonderful texture to a piece of work. It can be stitched in a single row or closer together to create a basket effect. A single chain stitch on its own is know as a lazy daisy stitch.

• Bring the needle up through the fabric (A) then back down as close as possible to the original hole (B)

• Gently pull the thread until there is a small loop - don't pull fully tight

• Push the needle up through the fabric where the stitch should end (C) when pushing the needle back up make sure it goes through the centre of the loop

• Gently pull the needle all the way through so that the loop ends up the same length as the stitch and lies flat

• To create the next stitch push the needle back down as close as possible to the spot it came up (D), this should be inside the stitch just created

• Repeat until the chain is the desired length

• At the end of the chain, secure the final chain by stitching the last stitch over the end of the loop rather than inside it (E & F)

Chain stitch can be used as a filling stitch and looks great when several rows are stitched together, each row in the opposite direction.

It can also be stitched as a single chain to create an outline such as in this free kit from Mollie Makes designed by Zeena Shah. In this example, I also filled the chain stitches with a straight stitch in a contrasting colour to fill the centre of the chains.

Want to try this stitch? It’s a stitch I suggest using in my flamingo flower kit.

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