Have you ever looked at those cute, little felt toys and thought: “How on earth did they make that sweet little smile?”. Or maybe you noticed tiny decorative stitches on a teddy’s body and wondered if it’s some kind of sewing magic?
Spoiler – it’s not magic. It’s chain stitch. And by the end of this article, you’ll know exactly how to use it and where it works best.
Hi, I’m Alyona. I’ve been sewing for as long as I can remember. And when I moved to the UK, I became slightly obsessed with making felt plushies. Yes – slightly obsessed is putting it politely. So let’s get into it properly.
And if you want to practise straight away, you can grab my free printable plushie pattern. It’s a proper handmade pattern, not AI-generated nonsense. I designed it, built it, tested it. Real hands, felt. Real drama 💪.
Chain stitch in felt crafting
There are so many stitches out there for felt creation and crafting that it can feel endless. If you want to explore them deeper, you can read my article The Best Stitch Types for Decorative Felt Designs. In this article I explain the different stitch options you can use in felt work.
However, in this article we’re focusing on back chain stitch approach and how I execute it on plush toys. This stitch gives you a decorative line made of little connected loops. And that’s why it looks so good for details that you actually want people to notice.
Where to use chain stitch on plushies?
Usually, I use this stitch to create face expressions on plushies. It’s perfect for adding that clean outline and controlled decorative look. Especially when you want the toy’s face to feel “alive” and not flat.
You can also use chain stitch for decorative body details. For example: If you’re making teddy bears and they have that stitched look across their body (Like they’ve been a little bit ripped). Chain stitch is great for that effect too 👌.
So overall, chain stitch is useful when you want visible decorative stitching on a felt toy. Especially for facial features or that classic stitched style detail on the body.
Two ways to use chain stitch: before or after stuffing
This stitch can be used in two different ways, and which one you choose depends on the result you want.
Number 1
First, you can stitch it before you sew all the elements together and stuff the toy. This is usually easier because the felt is flat, and you can see your design clearly while you work. If you’re adding decor like the teddy “ripped” body stitching or a little slime, and it doesn’t affect face expression, then pre-stitching on flat felt is a simple option.
Number 2
Second, you can stitch it after the toy is already finished, sewn, stuffed, and ready. Personally, most of the time I do it after, especially for faces. The reason is simple: When your felt is flat, everything can look perfect ! But once you stuff your plushie, the felt stretches a little bit. Because of that, if you stitch eyes straight away on flat felt, after stuffing the eyes can end up too far away from each other. And it doesn’t look nice.
So when I’m doing a face, I nearly always do it when the toy is finished. On the other hand, if I’m doing body decor that doesn’t change the facial expression, then I might do it before stuffing because it’s easier.
How I sew chain stitch step by step
To create this decorative stitch, I begin by threading the needle without tying a knot at the end. Depending on how bold I want the line to look, I either use one strand folded in half for a finer result, or two strands folded in half so that I’m effectively working with four threads for a thicker, more raised effect.
Instead of securing the thread with a knot, I insert the needle into the toy from an arbitrary point and bring it out exactly where I want the stitching to start. I leave the short tail hidden inside the stuffing, and because there is no knot, I simply avoid pulling the thread all the way through so it stays trapped inside the piece.
From there, I work only in the top layer of felt, never going deep into the filling.
After the thread emerges, I move the needle slightly backward, usually about two or three millimetres, and insert it so it catches just that surface layer. Then I travel under the felt and bring the needle back out a few millimetres ahead of the previous exit point, returning again into the same hole where the stitch began. This creates a small, rounded link.
I continue in this same rhythm along the design line, repeating the backward entry and forward emergence so that each new stitch sits neatly against the previous one, forming a chain of soft oval shapes. The effect is slightly raised and very controlled, which makes it ideal for outlining features or adding decorative details to felt toys.
To finish, I still do not make a knot. Instead, I pass the needle completely through the toy and bring it out at the back or another hidden area, pull the thread gently so it sinks inside, and trim it close to the surface. The end disappears into the stuffing, leaving no visible start or finish point, and the stitching remains secure without any knots showing.
Practise it right now
If you want to practise this stitch right now, you can grab my free felt toy pattern.
Also, I have a very, very large collection of plushies on my website. If you want to see them, you can browse my Sewing Patterns Collection. When you support my little craft hobby, you get a perk that actually matters: you can always reach out to me if you get stuck with your project or need advice 🫶.
You can contact me on Instagram or on my YouTube channel, and I always reply myself and take care of each person individually.
And on top of that, I’m sure you’ll be interested in blanket stitch too and where to use it. Chain stitch and blanket stitch are the two most important stitches for felt plushies. So go and read How to Sew Blanket Stitch and Best Way to Use It. In that article, I show you step by step how to sew it and where to use it.
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you on my next one 👋.
