stitch illustration

This week the challenge stitch is barred chain and or Alternating barred chain. Chain stitch has all sorts of varieties and these are two which are incredibly versatile.

Once again this is a deceptively simple stitch which can be arranged in a number of ways, layered and both are particularly effective worked on a curve.

As you can see the first sample I worked is in a circle. Small disks of this stitch worked with long arms produce interesting floral motifs.

chainbar2.jpg

The sample above is worked in perle 8. As you can see it is ideal for twiggy bits of foliage in a floral spray. The spines can be varied and swung either left or right.

The sample below is worked in perle 3. If you work it in a thicker thread it produces a very thorny line.

chainbar3.jpg

The stitch can also be stacked. It is most effective if the spines overlap other stitches as this layers the embroidery to produce a rich and interesting texture. As you can see a mix of threads have been used. Silk, wool, cotton, perle 5 and 8, metallic threads and the like are all mixed in.

chainbar5.jpg

When you have stitched a sample swing by and leave a comment so people can check out your site. Don’t forget to leave your URL. To avoid spam you must be registered to leave a comment and all comments are moderated. This means when I have read them I approve them and they are published.

I spent a long time yesterday checking out what everybody has been doing and spent a good few hours on the blogs. There is some wonderful work being done and it is just great to see how everyone re-interprets the stitches. I hope everyone is following the links left in the comments as you are missing out if you are not doing so.

Don’t forget that Debra Spincic generously runs a web ring for the TAST challenge which is found here and for those who have a Flickr account there is the Take a stitch Tuesday flickr group

That’s the Take a Stitch Tuesday Challenge stitch this week … Enjoy!