Sewing - Elements: Stitches and Seams

Elements: Stitches and Seams

Whether the object to be sewn is made of leather, fabric, paper, or plastic, the basic components of sewing are the same: stitches and seams.

In sewing, a stitch is a single loop of thread brought in-and-out of the fabric in a particular way. A variety of stitches are used for specific purposes, named according to the position of the needle and direction of sewing (running stitch, backstitch), the form or shape of the stitch (chainstitch, feather stitch) or the purpose of the stitch (tailor's tack, hem stitch).

Basic machine stitches are chainstitch, lockstitch, and overlock. Fancy machine stitches mimic traditional hand stitches using variations on the basic stitches.

A row of stitches fastening two objects together is called a seam. Seams are classified by their position in the finished object (center back seam, side seam) and by their construction (flat-felled seam).

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