TAST Weeks 6 & 7: Chevron Stitch & Detached Chain Stitch

TAST WEEK 6: Chevron Stitch

Using size 8 green perle cotton and the chevron stitch, I couched a red ribbon over a seam on a crazy quilted Christmas stocking I am making for Mutt. (Mutt is the nickname my youngest son and I agreed on when he was little, because he loves dogs.) 

I planned to add beads between the chevron stitches, however, when I finished couching the ribbon down, I envisioned Christmas trees. So, I used size 8 variegated perle cotton to make zigzagging straight stitches to fill in the trees. Next, small yellow beads were added to the top of the trees for stars. Brown bugle beads became the tree trunks. This was such a fun combination to create and my son loves it.

I have not used this stitch a lot, but I do have a few favorites to share. The seam above was created on the camera block I embellished for a dear friend of mine. I used white perle cotton to create the chevron stitch. Then, I created heart flowers. The stems are straight stitches. The leaves are detached chain stitches. The hearts were created by making two stitches that I suppose would really be two open detached chain stitches that meet in the center. I love this combination! (Of course, I love hearts...)

The seam above was added to Barbara's block for the Heart Round Robin I participated in last year. I used size 12 ecru perle cotton to make the chevron stitches. Size 8 green perle cotton straight stitches and detached chain stitches created stems and leaves. Next, size 8 dark red perle cotton was used to create sets of 3 detached chain stitches for the flower petals.

TAST Week 7: Detached Chain Stitch

Detached chain stitches are SO versatile. I use them all the time. For TAST, I opted to create an angel seam on the Christmas stocking I am making for Mutt. Using 2 strands of metallic gold DMC floss, I began with a closed buttonhole stitch to create triangles for the bodies. Two detached chain stitches topped each triangle to create wings. A French knot "head" was centered above each set of wings.  (I discovered and fell in love with this seam combination in 2013 when I went to the library and checked out the book An Encyclopedia of Crazy Quilt Stitches and Motifs by Linda Causee. Disclaimer: This link takes you to see the book at Amazon.com. I am not affiliated with the book, but do earn a small credit for purchases made at Amazon through my blog.)

In the past, I have frequently used combinations of detached chain stitches and straight stitches to create tiny fish in under-the-sea themed blocks, like this block I embellished for Nicki Lee.

Detached chain stitch is just perfect to create leaves, as seen in this "snowball" I created for Donna.

This flower was created using 4 mm silk ribbons and detached chain stitches with a bead in the center. (I have not shared this project yet. My seam ripper and I need to schedule a date first...)

This block that I embellished for Kathy in the Heart Round Robin we participated in together shows detached chain stitches creating leaves, flower petals, and butterfly wings.

TAST stands for Take a Stitch Tuesday. It is a personal stitching challenge offered by Sharon B. on Facebook and on her blog, pintangle.com. You may read more about it here. This week, the detached chain stitch was introduced. If you follow the TAST Facebook group, you know there are some incredibly inspiring examples of these stitches being shared. Thank you, Sharon, for offering TAST!

Thank you for stopping by!

Renee