Hand Stitches - Part 1
Although hand stitching can be time consuming, it allows you to be very accurate and sometimes ends up saving time that might otherwise be spent unpicking machine stitching. These are the hand stitches that I use most often:
Back Stitch
A back stitch is one of the strongest stitches. Savile Row tailors often set their sleeves in by hand as it provides some flexibility. Bring the needle up, take a stitch back, run under the fabric, come up in front of the first stitch and repeat. The right side of the work will look like machine stitching while the back will have longer stitches.
Back stitch resembles machine stitching and is worked with a double strand of thread
Pick Stitch
The pick stitch is sewn the same way as a backstitch but there is a space between every stitch. When taking a stitch back, the stitch should be very small leaving just a dimple in the fabric.
Pick stitch
Tack Stitch
The tack stitch is used to hold layers together. I use it to attach interfacing to the garment. The tack stitch is done from the right side of the fabric. It is done in the same manner as the pick stitch. The stitches can be slightly longer.
Fell Stitch
A fell stitch is stronger than a slip stitch. Use this stitch to attach pockets and lining to the garment. Bring the needle up through the fabric, take a small stitch into the lining or pocket, go directly back down into the garment and take a stitch forward angling the needle slightly towards the lining, repeat. This stitch is often referred to as an appliqué stitch in quilting.
Fell Stitch: the needle goes through the fabric and picks up a stitch of the lining
Slip Stitch
The slip stitch is similar to the fell stitch but the needle travels along the fold rather than through the garment. It is not as strong as the fell stitch but is quite invisible. The needle travels along a folded edge, comes out, picks up a thread of the garment, goes directly back into the fold and repeats.
Pick up a thread of the fabric below where the needle comes out.
Then the needle travels through the fold of the lining, repeat.
Hem Stitch
Working flat on a table bring the needle up through the hem allowance, take a small stitch over a few threads, go between the hem allowance and the garment, pick up a thread of the garment and come back through to the right side of the hem allowance, repeat.
To hemstitch the hair canvas interfacing
to the garment, take a stitch in the hair canvas, go through to underneath, pick up and repeat.
Picking up a thread for the hemstitch
Catch Stitch
Working from left to right insert the needle from right to left. Take a stitch, pull the thread up, take the next stitch below the first and to the right. Stitches will resemble small crosses.
Catch stitch is worked from left to right, needle is inserted from right to left
Buttonhole Stitch
The buttonhole stitch is used to make hand worked buttonholes. Although it is similar to the blanket stitch, the main difference is that the needle is placed under the edge and towards you whereas with the blanket stitch the needle goes into the fabric towards the edge and away from you. The buttonhole stitch will form a purl knot along the edge.
(More on this later!)
The needle is inserted under the cut edge towards you. The thread is wrapped around the tip of the needle and pulled up to form a purl stitch.