# [Use chain and detached chain](https://threadcabin.com/explore/280/use-chain-and-detached-chain)

> Linked loops make a chain line; individually anchored loops make detached-chain shapes. Control loop size with placement rather than pulling every loop tight.

- Canonical page: https://threadcabin.com/explore/280/use-chain-and-detached-chain
- Language: en
- Published: 2026-09-25T17:26:34.4786411+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-25T17:26:39.3810627+00:00
- Craft: Embroidery
- Primary image: [Illustration: A looped chain-stitch line beside several detached-chain petals forming a simple daisy on cream linen.](https://threadcabin.com/images/explore/focused/chain-stitch.jpg)

Linked loops make a chain line; individually anchored loops make detached-chain shapes. Control loop size with placement rather than pulling every loop tight.

## Before you start

Prepare a small offcut of the intended ground with the intended needle and thread. Mark the practice area lightly and support the fabric without stretching its grain.

## How to do it

1. Bring the needle up at the start. Return beside the same hole, leave a loop on the surface, and come up one stitch length ahead inside that loop. Pull gently until the loop rests around the new exit point.
2. Start the next loop inside the previous tip. To finish, make a tiny straight anchor just outside the last tip. One loop with that anchor makes a detached-chain petal; it should remain open, not cinched into a straight line.

## Try this example

Stitch a five-loop chain beside five detached petals. Use a short anchoring stitch over each petal tip and compare whether the loops keep the intended open shape.

## Check your result

- Release the frame and inspect front and reverse. The thread should lie as intended without distorting the ground; shorten a stitch or change the sample before pulling harder.
- Coverage and tension depend on the actual ground, thread and stitch length. A diagram shows the route, not a universal thread quantity or tension setting.

## Sources

- [rsnstitchbank.org: chain stitch](https://rsnstitchbank.org/stitch/chain-stitch)
- [rsnstitchbank.org: running stitch](https://rsnstitchbank.org/stitch/running-stitch)

[Browse editable craft templates](/crafts?craft=embroidery)

[Report a correction](/corrections).

## Sources and provenance

- [Running, back, and stem stitch: compare the thread path](https://threadcabin.com/explore/13/running-back-and-stem-stitch-compare-the-thread-path)
- [Shape leaves with stitch direction](https://threadcabin.com/explore/293/shape-leaves-with-stitch-direction)
- [Use fly and feather stitches](https://threadcabin.com/explore/294/use-fly-and-feather-stitches)