Starting and ending a stitch?

Reversing is a standard method of ending lines of stitching. But I never bother if that line end will be crossed with another line of stitching, especially if the seam ands will be trimmed down later. On fine stuff the extra stitching creates unwanted bulk. It's a really good idea on anything that will take hard or rough wear. keep all the lines of stitching on top of each other as far as possible to reduce bulk.

What you are doing is just fine. It's called backstitching. You do want to sew directly over the previous line of stitches. That's what makes them lock together. You don't need to back up over more than a few stitches, like 3 or 4. Also, if you don't like how that looks, you can set your stitch length to zero, and stitch in place for about 3 stitches. Then set it back to whatever length you like, and stitch to the end. Return to zero for 3 stitches at the end. That works well too. :)

Good job figuring it out on your own.

Sharon

Very good. :) You need only reverse for a stitch or two and you can do that when you're sewing zig zag and other practical stitches as well. Try to keep it in the seam allowance. However, should you ever have the occasion to sew a dart, you never backstitch at the apex or point of the dart. You leave several inch tails and hand-tie them in a square knot without pulling on the dart. You do this so the end of the dart won't be distorted. And where reverse stitching will show on the outside of the garment, heavy top-stitching or sashiko quilting for instance, you leave the top thread tail long enough to thread a regular sewing needle so you can thread it thru to the reverse side of the fabric and then tie it carefully. 98% of the time, a little backstitch is all you need. You need not backstitch for stay stitching or machine basting.

There's no need to backstitch with zigzag stitching, or any multi-step stitch. Sometimes I do out of habit, but it's really unnecessary.

Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

Phaedr> Very good. :) You need only reverse for a stitch or two and you can do

Thank you Kate, and also thanks to the other responders as well. I really appreciate the feedback on this, and it's good to get some additional insight as well. .

Thanks again,

Jon

I'm just wondering if backstitching is also good for sewing by hand. Haven't found a place to set up my machine yet, and it's been a long time :).

Thanks, Chuck

Normally, in handstitching, you have a choice of things to do. Usually, when I do it, I make a knot towards the end, but it seems to me that doing an actual backstitch (as opposed to just sewing back and forth a few times) should hold it very well... I think it would really depend on the fabric and how much wear, tear and strain the item will get...

That's almost my only way of securing thread ends in hand sewing -- but "backstitch" means something entirely different when done by hand. You put the needle in a little behind the place where it came up -- there should be any number of illustrations on the Web, and every sewing book has a picture of backstitch. Backstitch is also a basic embroidery stitch, so a dictionary of embroidery stitches would be the quickest way to find a picture, if you happen to have one handy.

Google brought up

which shows a good picture of closed back stitch. For most sewing, I leave a little space between the stitches insteadof going down in the same hole where the thread came up. This iscalled "spaced backstitch" or "open backstitch". In a thick fabric,I'll leave a space equal to the length of the stitch, and try to soangle the needle that the stitches on the back are the same length asthe stitches on the front. Backstitch is the strongest way to sew a seam, in addition to being the best way to secure the ends of the thread.

There is a compromise called "combination stitch" or "running back stitch", which has some of the strength and elasticity of backstitch, but is almost as quick to work, and makes as little bulk in the seam, as running stitch.

First, weave the needle through the fabric as many times as you can. (I've heard re-enactors call this version of running stitch "rocker stitch" -- since it's my default way to work running stitch, I call it "running stitch" and call the other method "stab stitch".)

Then you pull the thread through, adjust the tension (neither loopy nor puckered; this becomes automatic after a while), put the needle into the fabric one stitch-length behind the place where it came out, and weave another set of running stitches.

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The first thing I learned when learning to sew was how to tie a knot in the very end of a thread -- and the second thing I learned was how to get along without ever tying a knot! Nowadays I don't even use knots when basting unless I want to mark the wrong side. I usually take a few short stitches at the beginning and end, and start before and end after the place where basting is needed, which allows me to pull the thread out from either end and either side.

I've given up backstitching by machine. If there is no force on the seam before it ends up inside a hem or another seam, there is no need

-- and if there is force on the seam, I'd rather the stitching gave than the fabric. An inch or two of threads dangling is nearly always enough security, and when it isn't, you can pull on them to tighten the stitches up again. (Be sure to trim the dangling threads off at some point. Or hide them between layers.)

I vaguely recall backstitching the end of a seam last winter, but I've forgotten why. At any rate, *one* backward stitch is quite enough.

Joy Beeson