Chain stitch is a sewing and embroidery technique in which a series of looped stitches form a chain-like pattern. Chain stitch is an ancient craft – examples of surviving Chinese chain stitch embroidery worked in

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

thread have been dated to the

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

(5th – 3rd century BC). Handmade chain stitch embroidery does not require that the needle pass through more than one layer of fabric. For this reason the stitch is an effective surface embellishment near seams on finished fabric. Because chain stitches can form flowing, curved lines, they are used in many surface embroidery styles that mimic "drawing" in thread. Chain stitches are also used in making tambour lace, needlelace, macramé and

crochet Crochet (; ) is a process of creating textiles by using a crochet hook to interlock loops of yarn, thread (yarn), thread, or strands of other materials. The name is derived from the French term ''crochet'', which means 'hook'. Hooks can be made ...

. In

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

, in the Sheki region, this ancient type of needlework is called ''tekeldus''.

History

The earliest archaeological evidence of chain stitch embroidery dates from 1100 BC in China. Excavated from royal tombs, the embroidery was made using threads of

. Chain stitch embroidery has also been found dating to the

. Chain stitch designs spread to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

through the

Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...

Applications

Hand embroidery

Chain stitch and its variations are fundamental to embroidery traditions of many cultures, including

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

i '' numdahs'',

ian Resht work,

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

n suzani, Hungarian Kalotaszeg "written embroidery",Gillow and Sentance: ''World Textiles'', p. 178-179 Jacobean embroidery, and crewelwork.

Machine sewing and embroidery

Chain stitch was the stitch used by early sewing machines; however, as it is easily unravelled from fabric, this was soon replaced with the more secure lockstitch. This ease of unraveling of the single-thread chain stitch, more specifically known as

ISO The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Me ...

4915:1991 stitch 101, continues to be exploited for industrial purposes in the closure of bags for bulk products. Machine embroidery in chain stitch, often in traditional hand-worked crewel designs, is found on curtains, bed linens, and upholstery fabrics.

Variants

Hand variants

Variations of the basic chain stitch include: * Back-stitched chain stitch * Braided stitching * Cable chain stitch * Knotted chain stitch * Open chain stitch * Petal chain stitch * Rosette chain stitch * Singalese chain stitch * Twisted chain stitch * Wheat-ear stitch * Zig-zag chain stitch

Hand stitch gallery

File:Chain stitch.jpg, Basic chain stitch Image:Braid stitch.svg, Braid stitch Image:Cable chain stitch.jpg, Cable chain stitch Image:Knotted chain stitch.jpg, Knotted chain stitch Image:Open chain stitch.jpg, Open chain stitch Image:Petal chain stitch.gif, Petal chain stitch Image:Rosette chain stitch.gif, Rosette chain stitch Image:Rosette chain line.gif, Rosette chain line Image:Singalese chain stitch.gif, Singalese chain stitch Image:Twisted chain stitch.jpg, Twisted chain stitch Image:Wheatear stitch.gif, Wheat-ear stitch Image:Zig zag chain stitch.jpg, Zig-zag chain stitch

Machine variants

* The basic chain stitch is made by first sending the needle down through the material. Then, as the needle rises upward, the friction of the thread against the fabric is sufficient to form a small loop on the underside of the material. That loop is caught by a circular needle which is beneath the work. The machine then moves the material forward projecting the loop on the underside from the previous stitch. The next drop of the needle goes through the previous loop. The circular needle then releases the first loop and picks up the new loop and the process repeats.1902 Encyclopedia
/ref> * The double chain stitch uses two threads. It is rarely used in today's machines except for ornamental purposes because it uses more thread than other stitches. It is found in bulk material packaging, where it is used to close large bags. As this stitch can be easily unraveled, this permits easy opening of bags sewn shut in this manner.

Machine stitch gallery

File:Machine basic chain stitch.jpg, Basic chain stitch Image:Machine double chain stitch.jpg, Double chain stitch

Notes

Union Special Portable Chain Stitch machine internal mechanis
2200 Portable bag closing machines

References

* Virginia Churchill Bath, ''Needlework in America'', Viking Press, 1979 * S.F.A. Caulfield and B.C. Saward, ''The Dictionary of Needlework'', 1885. * Mrs. Archibald Christie. ''Samplers and Stitches, a handbook of the embroiderer's art'', London 1920, 1989 facsimile: Batsford, , or online a
Project Gutenberg
* John Gillow and Bryan Sentance: ''World Textiles'', Bulfinch Press/Little, Brown, 1999, * Reader's Digest ''Complete Guide to Needlework''. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., March 1992,

External links

Kalotaszeg embroidery at MagyarMuseum.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chain Stitch Embroidery stitches Sewing stitches Chinese inventions