How to Do the Chain Stitch in Embroidery

Materials & tools you'll need

Step 1 — Come up through the back of the fabric

Start the same way as any other embroidery stitch: bring your needle up from the back of the fabric. This is where the chain stitch starts to differ, in what you do next.

Step 2 — Go back down to make a loop

Hold the thread, then put the needle back down in the same hole you just came up through, or really close to it. This leaves you with a loop of thread on the surface. Pull the thread until the loop is small.

Step 3 — Come up inside the loop

Bring the needle up one stitch length away, coming up through the inside of the loop. Pull the thread snug. You now have a single link that looks a bit like a chain link.

Step 4 — Repeat down the line

Go back down through the same hole, or right next to it. This holds the loop you just made in place and starts the next one at the same time. Then come up one stitch length away, inside the new loop, and pull the thread snug. Keep repeating. You'll be going in and out of the same hole a lot. It helps to hold the thread down with your thumb as you go so it doesn't get tangled.

Step 5 — Adjust the tension

How hard you pull the thread changes how the stitch looks. Leave it really loose and you get a loopy chain stitch that sits off the fabric. Pull it really tight and the chain looks almost like a double underline. The video shows the loose version, worked with big stitch lengths, so try a few lengths and tensions on a scrap to see which you like.

Step 6 — Finish off

When you reach the end of the line, pull the thread through to the back of the fabric. Knot it so the stitching doesn't fall away, then snip the thread.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a chain stitch in embroidery?
Come up through the back of the fabric. Holding the thread, put the needle back down in the same hole, or very close to it, to leave a loop. Then bring the needle up one stitch length away, inside the loop, and pull the thread snug. Go back down in the same hole and repeat to build the chain.

How does thread tension change the look of a chain stitch?
Tension changes the look of each loop. If you leave the thread loose, you get a loopy chain stitch that sits off the fabric. If you pull it really tight, the chain looks almost like a double underline.

How do I keep the thread from tangling while I chain stitch?
Hold the thread down with your thumb as you make each loop. That keeps it out of the way while you bring the needle up inside the loop, so it doesn't get tangled.

How do I finish off a line of chain stitch?
Pull the thread through to the back of the fabric, knot it so the stitching doesn't come undone, and snip the thread.

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