Shell Stitch

 

 

About the Shell Stitch

The Shell Stitch is not to be confused with the Shell Chain Stitch. The Shell Stitch is kind of a combination of the Bullion Knot and the Chain Stitch. This stitch can be a bit challenging to do, and practice will definitely help. This is a pretty stitch to work as an edging stitch and over borders. This stitch is great for giving a creative angle to it.

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How to do the Shell Stitch

Fig 1: Come out from one end of the stitch line.	Fig 2: Now, place the needle close to the stitch point and hold it down with your thumb – this is important.
Fig 3: Now, wrap a certain number of times around the needle, as shown. The more wraps you make, the more curvy the stitch will be.	Fig 4: Now, move your thumb up to hold down the wraps, as shown. Next, pull out the needle. You might need to coax the wraps a bit to let the needle pass. Using a milliner’s needle will help in this process.
Fig 5: What you get is a small curved bit of a stitch like this.	Fig 6: Now, make a Chain Stitch as shown in this picture.
Fig 7: Again, place the needle right next to the next stitch point and wrap around the needle the same number of times as before to create the stitch.	Fig 8: Now, make a regular Chain Stitch.
Fig 9: Keep up with this process. Ensure that the needle is always placed next to the stitch point.	Fig 10: A row of the Shell Stitch looks like this. Try using a thick thread to work this stitch.

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Other related stitches from the Chain Stitch Family

Chain Stitch	Whipped Chain	Double Whipped Ch
Partial Whipped Ch	Magic Chain	Reverse Chain
Lazy Daisy	Long Tailed Daisy	Petal Chain Stitch
Russian Chain	Wheatear Stitch	Basque Stitch
Tulip Stitch	Detached Wheatear	Bull’s Head Stitch
Oyster Stitch	Berry Stitch	Raised Cup Stitch
Rope Stitch	Heavy Chain Stitch	Braided Chain
Open Chain Stitch	Sinhalese Chain	Double Chain Stitch
Triple Chain Stitch	Sailor Stitch	Crested Chain
Checkered Chain	Raised Chain Band	Interlaced Chain
Laced Chain Stitch	Overlayed Laced Ch	Butterfly Chain
Twisted Chain Stitch	Alt. Twisted Chain	Zigzag Twisted Ch.
Barred Chain	Alt. Barred Chain	Rosette Stitch
Back Stitched Chain	Tied Chain Stitch	Feathered Chain
Shell Stitch	Shell Chain Stitch	Waved Chain
Zigzag Chain	Cable Chain	Zigzag Cable Chain
Knotted Chain	Knotted Cable Ch.	Braid Stitch