You need to know just a few basic stitches to begin hand-sewing. The three most important basic stitches are the basting stitch, backstitch, and overcast stitch.
Table of Contents
Basting Stitch (Running Stitch)
View this post on Instagram
The basting stitch, also called the running stitch, is used to sew temporary seams that hold together pieces that might shift as you create more secure and final seams with either the backstitch or a sewing machine. To sew using the basting stitch, bring the needle and thread in and out of fabric following the permanent seam. Stitches should look like a line of dashes of equal length with spaces between them.
Backstitch
The backstitch creates a solid line of end-to-end stitches that forms a secure, permanent seam for joining two pieces. Take (make) these stitches about a 1/2–3/4″ from the edge of each of the pieces you want to join. The space between the edge and the stitches is called the seam allowance. To use the backstitch:
- Bring the needle up through the fabric pieces you want to join at A, a bit left of the starting point of the seam you want to sew. Insert the needle at B, the starting point of the seam. Then bring the tip of the needle out at C, just to the left of A. Pull the thread all the way through.
- Insert the needle back through the hole at point A and then the tip of the needle out at point D, just to the left of C. Pull the thread all the way through. Continue creating stitches this way for the length of the seam.
Overcast Stitch
View this post on Instagram
Sewers use the overcast stitch to finish raw or cut edges, which prevents them from fraying. This stitch serves as an alternative to hemming the edge of a piece of fabric. To sew the overcast stitch, start on one side of the edge you want to finish. Then make a series of evenly spaced, diagonal stitches that loop around the edge of the fabric.
How to Finish Off Hand Stitches
When you finish a series of stitches, you have to finish it off to prevent it from coming undone.
- On the wrong side of the fabric (the side that won’t be seen), insert your needle into your fabric about 1/8″ away from your last stitch. Pull the needle through, but don’t pull the sewing thread all the way through. Instead, leave a small loop of thread on the wrong side.
- Reinsert the needle on the right side of the fabric and pull it through a very short distance from the loop.
- Slip the needle through the first loop and pull until your sewing thread creates a second small loop.
- Slip the needle through the second loop and cinch the thread tight to secure the knot.
