Take a Stitch Tuesday - Butterfly Chain Stitch

This week's stitch for TAST is Butterfly Chain Stitch, an interesting combination of two different stitches. Firstly is a row of vertical stitches and then these are knotted together with a horizontal row of twisted chain stitch.

I did lots of thinking and experimenting with this stitch, I think it's quite versatile and pretty, particularly as an edge. As I've been making wool felt this week, my thoughts wandered to that. I decided to cut the felt up into smaller pieces as it is very bright and I thought if it was smaller then it would calm it down a little. Then I started thinking about whether this stitch was strong enough to stitch two pieces of felt together. Then I wondered if I could go so far as to attempt something 3D, like a small open box.


It was quite a fiddly exercise, I found it hard to hold the felt in place but at the same time to do the line of straight stitches loose enough so the sides of the box would actually bend. I used Perle 5 thread for strength and popped a few beads here and there for prettiness and to cover the raw edges on the tops of the side seams.

I then stitched a line of butterfly chain stitch as an edge stitch "over the top" of the upper edge, so it ended up that the knotted line of twisted chain stitch goes along the top edge. Am I making any sense at all? I feel like I'm tripping over words tonight!


In the corners of the bottom edge I used 6 vertical straight stitches knotted together, with three from each side, in an attempt to stabilise the box and pull it together a bit more. The inside of the little box is a bit messy, with the debris of stitches and knotted threads everywhere. I'm thinking I might glue a light fabric lining inside it, for both strength and tidiness.


I think it's kinda cute. :-)