Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 358: Air Chain Stitch

On YouTube, I found a neat stitch posted by SahinaArts. It looked like a ladder with Palestrina Stitch for the two rails, and a string of loose Chain Stitch for each of the rungs. 

Unfortunately, I can no longer find this video clip. That is why, today, I want to use the section that makes up the rungs.

If you are familiar with crocheting, you know how to make a slip knot 

and then cast on a set of links for a chain,

thus making Sunday Stitch School #358 Air Chain Stitch. We will, of course, be using an embroidery needle instead of the crochet hook.

Just follow the photo tutorial:

For those of you who have taken part in TAST and remember Buttonhole Version 2 with Picot, you already know how to make the Air Chain Stitch.

Homework:

Build some Air Chain arches on these samplers.

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 118: Lazy Daisy Picot Stitch

A warm welcome to the first lesson of 2020 here at Sunday Stitch School.

Let's make another variation of the Lazy Daisy Stitch, which I found in Totstuka Embroidery Stitch Book 8.
This stitch resembles the previous one, 117 French Knotted Lazy Daisy Stitch, but instead of a little French Knot it has a plump picot made up of three Chain Stitches.

Updated: Once again this is a stitch without a name in Ms Totsuka's book. My suggestion is Lazy Daisy Picot Stitch, but am open to change if you know of an established name.
Mattia suggests Point de Bouclette or Point de Marguerite avec Picot in French.

Look at the pictures, and you will understand:

First make a single Chain Stitch

1

Then make another Chain Stitch, but without biting any of the fabric

2

 Within that 'air' Chain make another,

3

and another,

4

 until you have a tail of three Chains

5

Anchor the tail in the same hole as the thread came out from in picture 2

6

 You now have a nice plump picot at the bottom of the Lazy Daisy Stitch.

7

Homework:

Add Lazy Daisy Picot stitches to these three samplers

Sunday Stitch School - Revision: Stitches 356 - 360

It is time to review the five stitches recently learned. Click on the title, and the link will take you to the instructions.

356 Brueten Stitch 

This is a unique stitch, and fun to do as it involves being naughty and pulling a stitch 'out of shape'.

357 Whipped Fly Stitch

All stitches that have 'whipped' in their names are (usually) based on a basic stitch. Here, a column of Fly Stitches has been decorated with metallic thread. Whipping is an easy way to upgrade a stitch.

358 Air Chain Stitch

Let's do some 'air' crocheting! Let's build some attractive arches. It's a bit fiddly, but well worth the effort.

359 Wool Stitch

Yumiko Higuchi, a famous Japanese needleworker, invented this stitch.

360 Basket Filling Stitch

Here is a simple Canvas Stitch that can also be worked freehand, which will then give you a wonky look.

Homework:

I have a busy week ahead of me, so the Sunbonnet Sue Sampler won't be posted next Friday, but hopefully the week after that. 

WIPW - Experimenting with Air Chain Stitch

 This is the last Work In Progress Wednesday report for March 2026.

Hexablooms 

I made five new flowers.

Sunday Stitch School Indigo Sampler 

Here is #357 Whipped Wheatear Stitch made with a plain red Perle and a knobbly, braided and slippery synthetic thread in purple.

As for the #358 Air Chain Stitch, I wanted to use the fact that the arch has plenty of room under its 'belly'. I couched a piece of ribbon under four of the arches. Please note that, on purpose, I put one of the stitched arches out of order. 

A ring was trapped under another two arches. As the ring is not fixed to the fabric, it can be flipped over.

Birthday Present

Here is the completed pot holder I showed a zoomed-up picture of last week.

Friday Homework for Lesson 118: Lazy Daisy Picot Stitch

The difference between this stitch and #117 French Knotted Lazy Daisy Stitch, is in the size of the 'lump'.
The instructions said the picot should be made up of three air Chain stitches.
I have found that the picot is not only smaller but sits better if only two chains are made. However with a smaller, tighter picot the stitch looks very similar to #117 French Knotted Lazy daisy Stitch.
Make a third chain and the picot becomes bigger and more untidy, and more distinct as a picot stitch....
This is turning into stitch philosophy!

You can see the difference in the size on the
Teal Wool Tailoring Scribble Cloth
Yellow = 118 Lazy Daisy Picot Stitch
Pink and purple = 117 French Knotted Lazy Daisy Stitch

Here, on the
Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart,
you can also see the difference between them.
117 on the left and 118 on the right.

 Aida Sampler

Friday Homework for Lesson 358: Air Chain Stitch

 Aida Sampler

Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart

Red Kimono Silk Scribble Cloth

TAST #88 - Buttonhole Picot, version 2 (with Chain stitches)

Here is the second version of Buttonhole Picot, TAST stitch #88, which is worked with Chain stitches made in the air. Needle crochetting?

To see how the picots are made and learn more about TAST, go to Pintangle.

Compared with the blue picots (version 1 made with Bullion Knots) that you can see at the top, the yellow and red picots are spheric.
They were easier to make and I find them more even in size and shape.
However, I think the Bullion version has an interesting form and are a bit more 'unique'. These yellow and red bundles of Chain stitches could be taken for French Knots, couldn't they? My private musings...

What to do during the rainy season

It's official! The rainy season has set in in the Tokyo area. Muggy, sticky, humid and wet, that is what the air will be like for at least a month.

So what is the best activity to do when you can't go out? Well, stay indoors and work away with needle and thread of course!

Right now I am quilting a crosshatch on my bias tape quilt. Before I show a detail of that, here is a shot of another of the floral petals edged with bias tape that I have bedecked with embroidery.                              

Now what can be seen here? We've got: Detached chain, Running, Closed Feather, Whipped running, V-stitch, Colonial knot, Scroll and Couching stitch