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Open Chain Stitch In Hand Embroidery Tutorial (Step By Step & Video)

April 6, 2019 By fasembroidery Leave a Comment

Open Chain Stitch is also known as the ladder stitch or Roman Chain Stitch. If you know how to work a chain stitch, then this should be pretty easy for you to work this stitch. When finished, this stitch has a ladder-like appearance. 

open chain stitch

What you will need?

  • Any fabric.
  • Embroidery hoop, 15cm (6″) (Bigger if you are working on a larger design) ( You can purchase a set of 6 hoops from Amazon for your basic needs.)
  • Tapestry needle
  • Embroidery thread (You can buy this pack of 36 shades of the DMC embroidery floss.)

How many strands of floss do you need for making the Open Chain Stitch?

You can use all 6 strands of the floss. But if you are working on a finer design, then start with 2 strands of floss and increase the number of strands according to your design. I have used 1 strand from the Perle cotton embroidery floss.

Step by Step Pictorial Process of making the Ladder Stitch

starting the stitch

1. Start by drawing two parallel lines. Bring the thread up at point A. Pull the thread up. Insert the needle from point B to point C. Point B will be above point A and point C will lie next to point A.

working on the stitch

2. Pull the thread lightly without pulling all the way through. Again, insert needle from point D to point E. Note while inserting at point D, the needle should be within the loop. Keep working in a similar fashion.

Tips for working the Open Chain Stitch

  • We will work this stitch on two parallel lines instead of one line that we use for the chain stitch.
  • Do not tighten the thread too much as it will distort the thread.

What is this stitch used for?

  • You can use this stitch to pin down ribbon in the embroidery patterns.
  • Embellishments can be used in space to make beautiful designs.

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More stitches:

  • Chain Stitch
  • Maidenhair stitch
  • Wheatear Stitch
  • Fern Stitch
  • Cast On Stitch
  • Basque Stitch
  • Long and Short Stitch
  • Trellis Stitch
  • Closed Feather Stitch
  • satin stitch
  • back stitch

Check out the video tutorial below

So until next time,

Keep Stitching,

Fareeha

Pin this image for later reference:

visit blog for detailed instructions on working the open chain stitch

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Filed Under: Basic Stitches, Chain Stitches Tagged With: basic stitches, chain stitch

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