BAS - Week 65 - Meandering Chain Stitch

This week's Build a Seam (BAS) Challenge is something a bit different. Instead of a new stitch, it is a different way of using an old stitch. This week we will use chain stitch in much the same way as we used the meandering ribbon we have done in Week 30. There is a good tutorial for basic chain stitch in Sharon B's Dictionary of Stitches here.
This sample is from an antique piece of embroidery and was used to attach a piece of embroidered gauze to a silk dresser scarf. After fifty plus years it is still serving this purpose very well. So, this technique would be very appropriate for a seam that is in need of stability from it's treatment instead of embellishment alone. By meandering back and forth across the seam in a random manner (much like stippling in traditional quilting) with a line of chain stitch, you can do a lot to strengthen the fabric join. Using a variegated thread as in the sample photo adds more interest and beauty to the stitching.
I hope you'll enjoy this week's challenge and I'm looking forward to seeing how you use this in a seam treatment. Have fun!

Comments

Anonymous said…

I really love this stitch Kerry.

March 13, 2011 at 6:57 PM

Ruby said…

Kerry, I'm sorry I breezed by this earlier. So many blogs, so little time! Lame, uh?

Second look and I realized this is just what I need. A fairly simple stitch but a real beauty. What I see is the room the loops give you to actually use a variegated. Most seams are so short they are stitched before I get to the second color!! Thanks!

March 13, 2011 at 9:27 PM

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BAS - Week 79 - Feather Stitch Variations

I have about the next twenty BAS stitches scheduled and by happy coincidence this week's BAS is a series of Feather Stitch variations which coincide with this week's TAST stitch if you are following. So, we can hit two birds with one stone! These hardly look like feather stitch but they are. They are created by making the "v"'s of the feather stitch vertical on the inside. Very simple to do but a different look to an old stitch. The second variation is created by doing two feather stitches at a time on each side, again making sure the inside of your "v"s are vertical and line up as much as possible. Same thing again in this one except they are in series of three. To me these have the look of stitching on old crazy quilts so they are nice to add to your stable of stitch variations. Hope you enjoy them and have fun!

kerrykatiecakes

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