As the name implies, the Lazy Daisy Stitch is an easy and fun way to embroider simple flower petals, leaves and raindrops. Scattered about, the Lazy Daisy (also known as Detached Chain Stitch) makes a playful fill.

This diagram at Wee Folk Art shows you how the steps of the Lazy Daisy Stitch work together to form flower petals. If you already know the Chain Stitch, this will look very familiar!

Step-by-step photographs will guide you through the V & Co. method for stitching Lazy Daisies. She marks the center circle, which she leaves open, and uses a stab stitch method to complete the petals. I super love the flowers she has stitched with variegated threads – a simple idea with stunning results!

The Lazy Daisy Stitch has so many possible variations! The stitch sampler from Arnold’s Attic shows many possibilities for the Detached Chain version of the stitch. Modern Embroidery, anyone?

HandiWorks puts it all in motion with a series of video tutorials. Her Lazy Daisy instructions are very clear, Check out her blog for other beginning embroidery lessons.

Here is how to make a Daisy Stitch:  Start by bringing your needle up where you want the center of the flower. Put your needle back in the fabric close to the center, and make a stitch that is as long as you want your flower petal, and bring your needle back up, looping the thread around the needle.

Pull the thread, but not too tight, as you want it to be a loop. Secure the end of the loop by stitching over the end of the loop and bringing your needle back up at the center of the flower.

Continue making loops around the center until your flower is complete!

2nd petal on this daisy.

And the first daisy stitch finished! I’m not sure I like the double thread, but that is why this is a sampler – to test embroidery stitches and see which ones I like, and get better at my stitching.

Here is the finished square.  I had fun trying different colors, sizes, number of threads. It was interesting, even though I used the Sulky 12 wt thread for all of them, the thread was not consistent color to color. My favorites are the smaller ones where the thread to daisy size ratio are more similar. Note to self: If I want nice bigger daisies, use thicker thread. The thinner thread didn’t keep the loop shape in bigger loops.

Here is a sampler to show different types and weights of threads with the Lazy Daisy Stitch:

Row 1: Pearl cotton size 12

Row 2: Pearl cotton size 8

Row 3: Pearl cotton size 5

Row 4: Merino wool for the first two daisies, Silk straw for the middle two daisies and Pearl cotton variegated in size 3 for the last two

Row 5: Starting with 6 strands of embroidery floss, then 5 strands, 4, 3, 2 and finally 1 strand of embroidery floss

Row 6: Variety of sizes of daisies all using Pearl cotton variegated in size 8

Check out all of the embroidery projects and inspiration on Create Whimsy!