The singalese chain stitch is the latest stitch I have learned from
100 Stitches .
It is a beautiful stitch, but a bit confusing at first glance - so much going on!
It looks difficult doesn't it? After re-reading the instructions quite a few times, I found this to be a fairly easy stitch to do. I would recommend using guide lines! The stitch is worked from top to bottom and it can be hard to keep the spacing consistent. I drew two parallel guide lines. I drew them at 3/8" apart:
This stitch requires three separate pieces of floss! One piece of "working" floss, and two other pieces of floss that will be used as "laid threads". 100 Stitches suggests that the laid threads and the working floss be in contrasting colors.
I used blue (dmc pearl cotton #798) for the laid threads and pink (dmc pearl cotton color variations #4810) for the working thead. My first step was to bring the two laid threads up through the fabric - first the left side:
then the right side:
and let them lay there:
Next, I took the working thread:
and came up through the fabric, between the guide lines, alongside the left guide line:
Pull all the way through - notice the working thread is pulled through and is now over the left laid thread:
The working thread now goes from left to right under both the laid threads, not catching any fabric, just sliding under the laid threads over to the right guide line:
and then into the fabric at the right guide line, and at a bit of a diagonal slant. The needle comes out of the fabric at the left guide line. Notice the needle is going over the top of the laid thread and the working thread:
it is a little easier to see here:
pull all the way through - but don't pull too tightly, you need some slack for the next steps:
then the needle goes back under the laid threads - left to right with out picking up any fabric:
and over to the right guideline:
Back into the fabric above the working thread on the right guide line:
and making the same slanting stitch to come out on the left guide line:
pull all the way through:
and then the needle goes back left to right under the laid threads:
pull through and insert the needle above the working thread, alongside the right guide line:
and make a slanting stitch coming out at the left guideline:
pull through over the left guideline and then the needle goes under the guide lines left to right:
and on and on until this:
100 Stitches suggests that the laid thread can be pulled taut and then taken back down through the fabric to finish:
Here is what the underside looks like:
There is a lot to keep track of when doing this stitch! I found that it takes a little bit of pulling and adjusting of all the threads to make them lay flat and even. This is stitch #49 and is in the linked stitches section of 100 Stitches.
This stitch requires three separate pieces of floss! One piece of "working" floss, and two other pieces of floss that will be used as "laid threads". 100 Stitches suggests that the laid threads and the working floss be in contrasting colors.
then the right side:
and let them lay there:
Next, I took the working thread:
and came up through the fabric, between the guide lines, alongside the left guide line:
Pull all the way through - notice the working thread is pulled through and is now over the left laid thread:
The working thread now goes from left to right under both the laid threads, not catching any fabric, just sliding under the laid threads over to the right guide line:
and then into the fabric at the right guide line, and at a bit of a diagonal slant. The needle comes out of the fabric at the left guide line. Notice the needle is going over the top of the laid thread and the working thread:
it is a little easier to see here:
pull all the way through - but don't pull too tightly, you need some slack for the next steps:
then the needle goes back under the laid threads - left to right with out picking up any fabric:
and over to the right guideline:
Back into the fabric above the working thread on the right guide line:
and making the same slanting stitch to come out on the left guide line:
pull all the way through:
and then the needle goes back left to right under the laid threads:
pull through and insert the needle above the working thread, alongside the right guide line:
and make a slanting stitch coming out at the left guideline:
pull through over the left guideline and then the needle goes under the guide lines left to right:
and on and on until this:
Here is what the underside looks like:
There is a lot to keep track of when doing this stitch! I found that it takes a little bit of pulling and adjusting of all the threads to make them lay flat and even. This is stitch #49 and is in the linked stitches section of 100 Stitches.
and of course, the bright green for the stems and grass:
I stitched this and now I am going to stitch the matching image - with the daisies facing the opposite direction. This image is fairly small. In this picture, it is in my 4" hoop, but it also fits nicely in my 3" hoop!
The floss colors I used are some of my favorites: dmc #602 - dark pink, dmc #3733 - pale pink and dmc #907 - bright green.
Next, the needle goes back to the left guideline, and directly below where the floss very first emerged, goes back into the fabric:
take a stitch, again notice the needle position in relation to the working thread - it is over the working thread: 
pull all the way through: 
and head back over to the right hand guideline, same as before go into the fabric directly below where the floss emerged: 
and take a stitch making sure to remember the needle is going to go over the working thread: 
and pull all the way through: 
over to the right hand guideline again - just keep going back and forth: 
until have finished the row of stitching: 
I washed out the blue guidelines: 
I think this is such a beautiful stitch, from all angles: 
even the underside! 
I enjoyed learning to do this stitch! It is #30 and is in the Looped Stitches section of 100 Stitches
