Miss Simplee Sufficient

In order to learn how to sew or mend, one must know the various types of stitches in sewing. 

There are many stitches to learn but for beginners, you only need to practice some basic sewing stitches to help you get through almost any type of hand-sewing repair.

Backstitch- It is the closest to machine sewing that you can get by hand. Viewed from the top, it appears as a continuous line of even stitches; viewed underneath, the stitches are twice as long as those on top and they overlap at the ends. Work from right to left. Insert the needle from the underside of the fabric layers to hide the knot. Pull the thread through to the knot. Insert the needle again behind where the thread emerges; bring the needle up and continue. Be sure to make evenly spaced stitches.

Running stitch- To learn how to sew, practice this stitch first because it can be used for almost anything. Bring your needle up through the fabric from the back (the wrong side) until the knot hits the fabric. At this point, you just have to make a stitch to the left or right of where the thread came through, then bring the thread back up and continue. This is pretty simple but be sure you don’t pucker the fabric for a cleaner look.

Basting stitch- This is used to hold two or more layers of fabric together temporarily during fitting or machine sewing when pins would get in the way. It is basically the same as the running stitch, only the stitches are longer.

Overcast stitch- This stitch is used to keep a fabric edge from fraying. Insert the needle from the wrong side of the fabric. Pull the thread through to the knot, and insert the needle from the wrong side again. Pull the thread through, but not too tightly, and then do it all over. The more your fabric frays, the closer the stitches should be to avoid any more damage.

Other stitches include overcast stitch, blind stitch, whipstitch, etc. You’ll be surprised at just how many stitches you can do. Learning how to sew is relatively simple, you just need to know how to do the basic stitches and practice on how to perfect it. Combining knowledge and patience, you will be stitching your way from novice level to becoming an expert.