The heavy chain stitch creates a bold, braided line that instantly adds texture and dimension to hand embroidery. It is a thicker variation of the regular chain stitch and is perfect for outlines where you really want the hand embroidery stitch to stand out. When you are looking for a thick line in embroidery, this is the stitch for you.

It is also referred to as the broad chain stitch, the raised chain stitch, the braid stitch, or the heavy braid stitch.

This stitch follows curves well and has a braid-like look and texture. This is a useful to fill backgrounds or in creating pictures. Try the heavy chain stitch for stems, organic forms, monograms and more.

What is the Heavy Chain Stitch?

I wanted to learn more about the heavy chain stitch and did some research. Apparently, it dates back to 1100 BC, during the Tang Dynasty. It is one of the oldest embroidery techniques and was used in ancient Egyptian, Middle Eastern, and European medieval textiles.

It’s different than the chain stitch because you stitch through the two previous stitches, creating the braid-like texture. A regular chain stitch only loops through one previous stitch.

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RELATED: How to chain stitch

I like it for adding more texture to my pieces. It’s great for doing textured letters for monograms, using as a raised outline for embroidery and fill with other delicate stitches, it is used often in crewel embroidery and it’s a fun addition to crazy quilting!

I really like the thick look that can be made with the double stitching through the chain stitch. Want it even thicker? Use a heavier thread, like I did in one of the samples below with a variegated Perle cotton. Or, use all six strand of floss with stranded embroidery floss.

One (1) Embroidery Sample

How to Embroider the Heavy Chain Stitch

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Active Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Difficulty: Beginner

With the heavy chain stitch, each loop is stitched through two stitches, forming a thick line of embroidery stitches. This is a variation of the chain stitch.

Each loop goes through the two prior stitches to form a braid-like stitch that is dense, when you are looking for a thick outline. It can be used as a filling stitch, too. See the notes below for more about using it as a fill stitch.

Here is a step-by-step tutorial with photos on how to embroider the heavy chain stitch.

Materials

Embroidery thread or floss
Fabric to embroider

Tools

Embroidery needle suitable for your embroidery thread or floss
Embroidery scissors
Embroidery hoop, recommended

Instructions

Place your fabric in your embroidery hoop and adjust your fabric so that it is taut. Hooping your fabric is recommended for even stitching. Without a hoop, sometimes the stitching will pull on the fabric.
Start by making a small stitch. Bring your needle up to the front of the fabric at A, and down at B. Next, bring your needle up one stitch away (C).
Take your needle and loop it through the first stitch D and down at C.
Bring your needle up at E.
Do this again. Loop your needle through the first stitch F. From here on out, you'll loop through two prior stitches, making a heavy chain stitch.
Take your needle down at E and take a little stitch to G.
Loop your needle through two prior stitches H.
Down at G and take another little stitch to I.
Continue looping through two prior stitches.
And finish each stitch.
At the end of your line, take your needle to the back of your work and tie off your threads. Here is the finished heavy chain stitch.

Notes

How to use the heavy chain stitch:

Use the heavy chain stitch for outlines. Stack the heavy lines on top of each other to fill a square or rectangle space. For round or curve shapes, start with an outside outline and then fill in from the outside to the center.

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Here is a sampler using thick Perle cotton in a variegated thread stitching a straight line.

Finished sampler of the heavy chain stitch

Ideas for using the heavy chain stitch:

Perfect for floral stems!

Use for monograms where you want bold lettering.

Great for textured outlines and fill in with a filler stitch

Fun for crazy quilt seams

Decorative borders get bold with the heavy chain stitch

Heavy chain stitch vs chain stitch vs split stitch

Stitch	Thickness	Best Use
Chain stitch	light	outlines, filling
Heavy chain stitch	thick	bold outlines
Split stitch	textured	outlines, stems, letting

Troubleshooting heavy chain stitch embroidery

My loops look uneven. What is wrong?
Try to make your stitch spacing even. If you want, you can use a removable fabric marker to mark for even stitching. This will help you keep your stitches a consistent length. Or, embrace the imperfections! It’s handmade! NOTE: Test the marker first to make sure it removes the way you expect it to!

My stitches look flat, not raised. What can I do?
Use a thicker thread or more strands to create more texture and a raised look to your embroidery.

My fabric is puckering. How can I fix that?
I like to use an embroidery hoop for just that reason. 🙂 And, you may be pulling your threads too tight. Just a gentle pull, not a tug.

Frequently asked questions

Is the heavy chain stitch good for beginners?
Yes! If you have mastered the basic chain stitch, you’ll have fun stitching the heavy chain stitch!

What thread works best for the heavy chain stitch?
You can really use any stitching thread. I like to use perle cottons, stranded embroidery floss, and wool crewel yarns. Use thicker threads for thicker and bolder lines.

Can the heavy chain stitch be used as a filling stitch?
Historically, this was used as a filler stitch. So, yes! Quite often, you’ll find this used in crewel embroidery as a filler stitch.

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Check out all of the embroidery projects on Create Whimsy for inspiration, and browse through all of the embroidery tutorials to learn more stitches.