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.
How to do the Shell Stitch
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
Learn this stitch and 305 more in our 600-page eBook!
Other related stitches from the Chain Stitch Family
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Partial Whipped Ch
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Raised Cup Stitch
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Triple Chain Stitch
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Sailor Stitch
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Overlayed Laced Ch
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Zigzag Twisted Ch.
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Tied Chain Stitch
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Shell Stitch
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Waved Chain
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Braid Stitch
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Sarah has been researching and sharing hand embroidery lessons for over 17 years, making it accessible to everyone around the globe.
buenas noches, me agrado mucho la puntada de concha, la verdad me es muy agradable que hay otras puntadas, y no nada mas como las de mis tiempos, cadena, punto atras, etc. A mis 72 años estoy queriendo aprenden nuevas puntadas. Gracias por su enseñanza.
Muchas gracias, Evangelina. Me siento feliz leyendo tu comentario. Es realmente apreciado y encomiable que estés aprendiendo nuevos puntos. Espero que también disfrutes de nuestros otros puntos especiales.
Thank you for sharing the lovely stitches, Sarah. I have all three printed now
to try out.
Awesome! Let us know how they turn out! ☺️
Thanks so much for all your wonderful tutelage. It is so apprecited.
Happy Holidays.
Thank you, Velia. ❤️
Thank you for the clear instrucitons.
This beautiful stitch has another name, too, Roll Chain Stitch.
Thank you, Queenie. That’s a logical name! Thank you for letting me know. ☺️