Backstitch

What you will learn

• Keeping stitches even
• Making a strong seam
• Joining layers by hand

Materials and tools

• Hand-sewing needle (sharps, size 7 or 8)
• All-purpose polyester thread, 18 in (45 cm)
• Two scraps of cotton fabric, 6 in (15 cm) square
• Pins
• Fabric marker or chalk

Before you start

• Pin the scraps with right sides together. Draw a seam line 1/2 in (12 mm) from the edge.
• Knot the end of the thread.

1. Bring the needle up from the wrong side on the seam line, one stitch length from the end of the seam. Pull the thread through until the knot stops.
2. Push the needle down at the very end of the seam line and bring it up one stitch length ahead of where you first came up. This makes the first stitch.

3. Pull the thread through until the stitch lies flat. Now push the needle down into the hole where the first stitch began, which is where the thread first came up.
4. Bring the needle up one stitch length ahead of the thread. Pull through. Each new stitch begins by going back into the end of the last one.
5. Continue along the line. On the front, the stitches form a solid line with no gaps. On the back, they overlap.

6. End with a tiny stitch in the same place, a knot and a buried tail.

Tips for a neat result

• Keep stitches small and even. Short stitches are stronger.
• Mark the seam line with chalk until you can keep it straight by eye.
• For extra strength on a repair, sew a second row of backstitch 1/8 in (3 mm) from the first.

Common mistakes and fixes

Check your result

• The front shows a continuous line of stitches that touch end to end.
• The seam is strong when you tug it, and the fabric lies flat.

Projects that use this