12 Types of Hand Sewing Stitches

1. 1. Running stitch: A running stitch, also known as a basting stitch, is a long, straight stitch. This stitch is generally used as a basting stitch, which means it will temporarily hold two pieces of fabric together and can be easily taken out later.
2. 2. Backstitch: Backstitch is a basic hand embroidery stitch that creates a line of stitches without a break between them, so it looks like a continuous straight line of thread.
3. 3. Cross stitch: Cross stitch is a type of decorative stitch comprised of two straight stitches crossing at the center to form an ex. It is generally stitched on a special fabric, which has a grid of tiny holes to guide the cross-stitch pattern, and the stitching forms a series of exes to make a pattern.
4. 4. Blanket stitch: The blanket stitch is a decorative seam-finishing technique that is meant to be visible. This stitch is generally used in hand embroidery or to finish the edges of quilts or pillows.
5. 5. Slip stitch: The slip stitch creates a mostly invisible seam and is a great stitch for hemming. Use a thread color similar to that of the item and the seam will blend into the fabric.
6. 6. Catch stitch: Catch stitch takes on a zig-zag pattern, and it’s invisible on the right side of the fabric, making it great for a blind hem. The catch stitch is a great flat stitch technique for seaming two pieces of fabric with a slight overlap.
7. 7. Whipstitch: Whipstitch is a simple seaming technique that is comprised of a line of short diagonal stitches that are invisible on the right side of the fabric.
8. 8. Chain stitch: A chain stitch is a type of embroidery stitch that forms a looped chain on the surface of the fabric. Here’s how to do a chainstitch.

Here’s how to do a running stitch and baste your fabric:

1. 1. Thread your needle and tie a knot at the end of the thread.
2. 2. Pull the needle up through both layers of the fabric and pull tight.
3. 3. Feed the needle through both pieces of fabric, about half an inch from your last insertion point, and pick up about a half an inch of fabric. Pull through. You can adjust this measurement to get the length of stitch you want.
4. 4. Continue this step until the seam is the desired length.

1. 1. Thread your needle and tie a knot at the end of the thread.
2. 2. Feed your needle up through the fabric, from the wrong side of the fabric to right side, and then back down, from right side to wrong side, to create your desired stitch length.
3. 3. Using the same stitch length as a guide, come up through the fabric about a stitch length away from your last entry point.
4. 4. Now, feed the thread back down through the fabric, right side to wrong side, using your last entry point at the end of the previous stitch and pull through.

Use embroidery thread, which is generally comprised of several easily separated strands so you can moderate its thickness. Separate the strands so you are only using about three of the strands from the original thread.

1. 1. Thread your needle, and tie the ends of the thread together in a knot at the end.
2. 2. Feed the needle up through from backside of the gridded fabric through the bottom-left hole where you want to start. Then feed the needle back down the top-right hole of the same square.
3. 3. Repeat these steps for as many squares are included in the first line of your pattern.
4. 4. When you have reached the end of your line, feed the needle up through the bottom-right hole and then down in the top-left hole opposite it. Continue these steps until you are back at the square you started with.

1. 1. Thread your needle and tie a knot at the end of the thread. Make sure you have a long enough thread to finish the seam.
2. 2. You will have two pieces of fabric with the wrong sides of the fabric facing each other and the right sides of the fabric facing out.
3. 3. Feed the needle just through the top piece of fabric and allow the knot to nestle between the two pieces of fabric.
4. 4. Now feed the needle through both layers of fabric, and make sure the needle comes through the same spot. Pull the thread through, and once there is a small loop left, thread the needle through the loop and pull tight to create the first stitch.
5. 5. Move across, about a stitch-width, threading the need from the back of the fabric the front and repeating the above steps. Make sure to keep the stitch width and length consistent throughout.

1. 1. Thread your needle and tie a knot at the end of the thread.
2. 2. Take the needle from the underside edge of the fabric and come up through the fold.
3. 3. Pick up a very small amount of fabric with your needle on the unfolded part of the fabric. Feed the needle through.
4. 4. Place your needle back in the initial entry point on the fold and pick up some fabric alongside the fold, moving in the same direction as you did when you picked up the small amount of fabric.
5. 5. Feed the needle through and you have created your first slip stitch. Repeat these steps to finish you seam.

1. 1. Thread your needle and tie a knot at the end of the thread.
2. 2. Send your needle from the underside of the fabric through the top and pull until the knot hits the fabric.
3. 3. Next, take the needle from right to left and pick up about one eighth of an inch of fabric and pull to the left.
4. 4. Now, on the opposite piece of fabric, take the needle from right to left and pick up an eighth of an inch of fabric and pull through.
5. 5. Repeat these steps working from left to right.

1. 1. Thread your needle and tie a knot at the end of the thread.
2. 2. Feed the needle from the underside of the fabric and up through the top and hide the knot.
3. 3. Working with the two edges of the fabric together with the wrong sides of the fabric facing each other, carefully stitch short diagonal stitch along the seam.

1. 1. Thread your needle and tie a knot at the end of the thread.
2. 2. Sew a short, straight stitch on the surface of your project. Feed your thread up through the fabric the exact stitch length away from the first stitch you want your chain stitch length to be.
3. 3. Feed the needle through through the first stitch and then back down through the insertion point.
4. 4. Repeat these steps, only instead of feeding through the first stitch, feed through each prior loop until you read the last stitch.

1. 1. Standard stitching: This is the most basic of machine stitches and creates a straight line of stitches, either for topstitching or sewing pieces of fabric together. You should vary the length of the stitch depending on the type of fabric you are using. For cotton and quilting fabrics, use the average stitch length of 2.5–3mm. For finer fabrics, like silk or rayon, use a shorter stitch, and for sturdier fabrics, like canvas or denim, use a longer stitch.
2. 2. Zigzag stitch: A zigzag stitch is quite literally a stitch that looks like a zigzag, and it is a great technique for finishing off seams or for sewing stretchy fabrics. Finishing the raw edges is important to keep them from fraying or unraveling. You can also use an overcast stitch to finish the seam, but a zigzag stitch also works.
3. 3. Buttonholes: The buttonhole stitch will vary greatly depending on what type of sewing machine you have. Some machines have an automatic buttonhole setting, while others have the four-step buttonhole setting, which is described here.
4. 4. Blind hem stitch: A blind hem is a handy skill to have in your sewing repertoire as it will allow you to create near-invisible hems on garments.

1. 1. Choose the straight stitch setting on your machine, and select your desired stitch width. Use the standard presser foot.
2. 2. Place your fabric under the presser foot and lower it.
3. 3. Line up the edge of your fabric with your desired seam allowance. The seam allowance is the extra bit of fabric from the seam to the edge of the fabric. If you’re quilting or garment sewing, a quarter-inch seam allowance is a good measure.
4. 4. Press down on your machine’s pedal and start feeding the fabric through with your hands to your straight stitch’s desired length.

Select the zigzag stitch setting on your machine. A zigzag stitch can be sewn with any length or width so make sure to choose what is right for your project. The average size of a zigzag stich is 2.5mm long and 3–4mm wide.

1. 1. Place your fabric under the presser foot and lower it.
2. 2. Press your foot on your machine’s pedal and feed the fabric through along your desired seam for the zigzag stitch.

Place your button on the item where you intend for it to be, and mark the bottom and top of the button with a small dash. Draw a line between the dashes, creating a capital “I”.

• Use the buttonhole sewing foot, and place your button on the foot to measure how big your buttonhole should be.
• Once measured, attach the buttonhole sewing foot to your machine, and place the needle at the base of the capital “I” you’ve drawn on your fabric. Make sure the tack on the button hole foot is in the same place it was when you measured your button.
• Make sure your machine is set to the buttonhole setting and that your stich length is set to buttonhole or 1.5mm and your stitch width is set to 3–5mm.
• Using “Step 1” of your machine’s buttonhole setting, sew about six back-and-forth stitches over the base of the marking on your fabric.
• Using “Step 2” of your machine’s buttonhole setting, sew up the left side of the marking. This will create very small and tight zig-zag stitches, which are called the satin stitch. The buttonhole foot should stop automatically when you reach the top based on your measurement.
• Using “Step 3” (On some machines, this might be the same setting as “Step 1”), sew six back-and-forth stitches at the top of the marking on your fabric.
• Using “Step 4” (On some machines, this might be the same as “Step 2”), sew the line of tiny zig-zag stitches down the right side of your buttonhole stitch marking. Stop when you reach the base.
• Now, to open up the buttonhole, use a seam ripper. To make sure you don’t tear the stitches at the top and bottom of the buttonhole, thread pins through the fabric that will stop the seam ripper before it reaches the stitches.
• Feed the seam ripper through the fabric between the two lines of zig-zag stitches and rip in a straight line from the bottom to the top of the buttonhole.

• First prepare the hem by marking where the hem will fall with a water-soluble pen or tailor’s chalk and press the hem with an iron. Most blind hems should be at least an inch or more thick so this is a relatively deep hem.
• Pin the hem in place.
• Use the blind hem presser foot on your sewing machine, and select the blind hem stitch setting.
• With the wrong side facing up, lower the presser foot onto the fabric, with the metal place right at the edge of the fold.
• Press on the machine’s pedal and stitch slowly making sure the blind hem stitch is catching the fold.

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