The Beginner's Guide to Basic Sewing Stitches

THE BEGINNER'S TO BASIC SEWING STITCHES GUIDE HAND-SEWING STITCHES Rинийing Soten Basting Stitch · Bring your needle up through the fabric from the back (wrong side) • Once the knot hits the fabric, make a stitch to the left or right · Use the same technique as the running stitch but make longer stitches (between 1/4 inch and a % inch) · Bring the thread back up and repeat Catch Sttch /Cross-stitch Backstitch • Work from left to right: take a small stitch, then insert the needle at the end of the previous stitch and bring it out beyond the point where the thread emerges • Work from left to right: take tiny stitches on the hem, and then on the garment • Keep stitches loose and even BlanketStitch / Buttonhole Stfch Slip Sttch · Secure the thread on the wrong side of the fabric. With the right side facing upward, insert the needle from back to front, about an 1/8 inch from the edge • Wrap the working head around behind the eye of the needle, then behind the point • Pull the needle through, bringing the knot to the fabric edge · Bring the needle through the fold of the hem and pick up a thread of fabric at the same point · Make the stitches fairly loose, and about a % inch apart SEWING MACHINE STITCHES Standard Forward / Backward Stitch Žigzag Sttch · Begin straight stitching 1/8 - 3/8 inches from the fabric edge • Backstitch the forward stitch over the pinned or basted seam • Provides a clean finish to raw edges, and can be used as a finish technique in combination with a stay stitching line • You can adjust both the width and length of this stitch • Repeat the reverse stitch to finish Buttonholes Blind Hem Stitch - Most sewing machines can make buttonholes, either with a fully-automatic buttonhole foot attachment or a pre-programmed buttonhole · Consists of two or three straight stitches, and then one wide zigzag/ catch stitch . Just as in the hand-stitched version of the blind hem, the fabric is folded under and away with the hem edge projecting SEAM FINISHES Turn and Stitch Zigzag - Once the seam is sewn and pressed open, zig stitch the raw edge and trim away the excess - Fold and press the seam: leave a % inch and machine stitch along the folded edge to finish - The seams are then pressed open or to one side (depending on the pattern) Bias Tape Pinked Seams - Best for unlined jackets and skirts - Use 5/8 inch bias tape to enclose the raw edge and stitch through all layers - Use pinking shears to trim away seam allowance - You can also machine stitch % inch from the seam, and then trim the edges with pinking shears Hand Overcast Tapsttceh - An alternative to the zigzag stitch, used in small areas or on very thick fabric • Taking very loose stitches, overcast the raw seam edges by hand · Used to strengthen a seam or as a decorative finish • Press seams open, then stitch in place from the wrong side te takelessons I"V"\