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Chapter 16: Stitching
TYPES OF STITCHING
Hand Stitching
They say that “a stitch in time saves nine.” Although some designers might opt to skip right
to permanent stitches, the temporary hand stitch known as basting proves that the old adage
could not be truer. Temporary stitches allow the designer to assemble sections of a garment
in a way that can easily be altered. Removing machine stitches will often leave needle marks
in, and sometimes destroy, fragile fabrics. Basting seams together before machine stitching
can also help avoid slippage when sewing two or more layers of fabrics together. Temporary
stitches can be used as well to transfer pattern information, such as the placement of button
holes, pockets, and other design details. Not all types of handwork are temporary. Securing
buttons, tacking, and finishing touches such as hemming are meant to stand the test of time
and repeated use. Besides needles and thread, taking on a sewing task will often require
pins, scissors, pinking shears, thread nippers, and every stitcher’s best friend, the seam rip-
per.
Machine Stitching
Designers have several choices when it comes to sewing machines. The basic straight stitch
machine allows the sewer to control stitch length, change needle position, and increase or
decrease tension as needed. With a well-calibrated machine and the right choice of needle
for the job, a designer can sew anything from chiffon to leather. The mechanics of the sewing
machine rely on a needle that feeds a loop of the top thread through the fabrics being sewn
together and catches the bobbin, a smaller spool of thread situated under the fabric, to cre-
ate a lock stitch. The presser foot stabilizes the fabric as a feed dog mechanism moves it
through the machine at the right pace. The sewer must guide the fabric but never pull or push
it through the machine.
Certain types of machine sewing—zigzag, blind hem, button hole, and decorative stitch—can
be done on separate specialty machines. In some cases, a regular straight stitch machine
can produce these stitches with the change of a presser foot or the attachment of special
hardware. A serger, sometimes called an overlock, babylock, or by the brand name Merrow,
is a machine that finishes an edge by overcasting it and trimming the excess fabric to
prevent fraying.
Machine stitching is employed in making all manner of seams; however, it can be used for
more than joining parts of the garment together. Understitching is used on the right side of
facings and areas where the designer wishes to avoid rolling. Stitching in the ditch is used
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Straight Stitch Machine
Overlock Machine
when the designer wants the stitching to be inconspicuous. Stay stitches allow the designer
to control an area that might stretch out of shape because it is curved or on the bias. Edge
stitching and topstitching can be applied decoratively (with thread in a contrasting color) or to
reinforce a seam. Zigzag stitches can also be decorative and are helpful when constructing
garments with stretch fabrics. Machines can also generate large, loose stitches sometimes
referred to as machine basting or gathering stitches. A stronger bobbin thread is used for
gathering, because it is the thread that is pulled to make the gathers.
Buttonhole Machine
Photograph by Emilia Stasiak/Fotolia.
Photograph by YoniLab/Fotolia.
Photograph by lkordela/Fotolia.
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17 8 THE FASHION DESIGN REFERENCE + SPECIFICATION BOOK
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SEWING FUNDAMENTALS
Seams
Common garment seams include shoulder seams, bodice side seams, sleeve seams, and
skirt or pant seams. Curved seams are usually clipped with small cuts into the seam allow-
ance to prevent puckering or pulling. Which seam technique the designer uses will depend
on the desired appearance and the strength required. A plain seam is the easiest way to join
two pieces of a garment, by sewing along the stitching line and pressing the seam allowance
open. The edges can be left raw or pinked with pinking shears. Tailored seams provide a clean
finish because each side of the seam allowance is turned under and edge stitched. Edges in
a Hong Kong seam are bound, usually with bias strips, to prevent fraying and provide a profes-
sional finish. Using a serger is a quick, cost-effective way to finish the seam allowance.
Fancier seam work can be an important design detail that sets a garment apart from others.
A slot seam involves closing a seam with a temporary stitch, then backing it with a strip of the
same (or contrasting) fabric, and finally machine stitching along both sides of the temporary
seam so that when it is removed a slot is created. Flat felled seams require that the seam be
stitched with both wrong sides together. With the seam allowance on the outside of the gar-
ment, one side of it is trimmed down, while the other is folded over and stitched down. This
type of seam is clean on both sides and can be found on most jeans. A French seam, often
used on delicate fabric, is a seam with a seam. It, too, is initially stitched with the wrong sides
together so that the seam allowance ends up on the outside, but in this case, all the seam
allowance is trimmed down. The garment is then turned inside out so that these seams can
be captured within a seam sewn from the inside. Corded seams capture piping, cord, or bias
between the layers being sewn together, producing a decorative ridge that shows from the
right side.
Corners
Crisp, clean corners are the mark of good workmanship. To give them a perfect point and
avoid soft corners, the stitcher must reach the corner with the needle in the fabric, lift the
presser foot, and change direction. A miter is required when two sides of a square that meet
are being turned up or hemmed. Turning up the seams or hems so that the right sides are
facing results in an overlap at the corner; a diagonal line from where they meet to the corner
being created by the fold should stitched, trimmed, then turned right side out and pressed.
Darts
Darts should be basted into place because they usually run along the bias of the fabric. Stitch-
ing should begin at the base of the dart, being sure to blend the stitch line into the edge by
the time it reaches the apex. Most darts are pressed toward the side seam to avoid unneces-
sary bulk in the front of the garment. Fisheye darts can be found in fitted garments with no
waistline, most commonly dresses: The fullness eliminated by a bust dart and hip dart are
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combined to create one long dart. French darts are curved and begin at the base of the side
seam, arching up toward the apex of the bust. Cutaway darts employ seam allowance rather
than a fold and are used for bulky fabrics where it is necessary to remove excess material.
Pleats and tucks are folds that are stitched down partially or into a seam.
Lining
Coordinating or complementary lining fabric is used to finish the inside of a garment, hiding all
the construction details. Soft, silky fabrics give wearers a pleasant experience when the lining
comes into contact with their skin and make it easy to slip the garment on and off.
Interlining
Interlining is a layer of fabric between the lining and the fashion fabric. Interlining adds body
and resiliency, as in the case of neckties. Thicker flannel-like layers serve as insulation in
garments requiring additional warmth. An interlining chosen to provide body will make weaker
fabrics more versatile in everything from delicate blouses to evening gowns.
Interfacing
The design of a garment may require that certain parts be reinforced or stiffened or display
additional body. Some may need no more than a layer of organza, while others may need the
structural integrity of buckram. Collars, cuffs, and plackets on dress shirts are traditional
places where a designer will add interfacing. Interfacing is available in a variety of weights and
can be applied in several ways. Fusible interfacing is pressed onto the fashion fabric, bonding
to it and transforming its body. Nonfusible interfacing can be basted onto the fabric in diago-
nal rows, as is typical in tailoring, or caught by a stitching line into a seam so that it remains
free of the body of the fabric.
Bias
True bias is cut on a 45-degree angle in relation to the lengthwise and crosswise grainlines.
Parallel diagonal lines can be drawn onto the fabric and cut to create bias strips of any width.
The segments can be joined to create a continuous length of bias, sewn together right sides
facing at right angles. Bias can be applied single ply not only to bind seams but also to finish
off curved seams like necklines and armholes. When bias is folded and used as a two-ply fin-
ish, it is called French bias binding. Bias can also be sewn into tubing for spaghetti straps and
ties: right sides together, sewn closed, then turned inside out with a loop turner. When work-
ing with bias, it is paramount to prevent the fabric from stretching out unevenly, which reduces
its flexibility and effectiveness.
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Knits
A certain amount of give should be built into the seams of knit garments. The degree varies
and depends on the type of knit. Single knits like jersey have around 25 percent stretch, dou-
ble knits may reach up to 75 percent stretch, and ribbed knits up to 100 percent. The cut edg-
es of fabrics with less stretch are more apt to curl. Sergers are popular for assembling knits,
especially for sportswear, because they have a lot of give and offer a very clean finish. Using
a stretch stitch, tricot stitch, or zigzag stitch are options for a conventional machine. Polyester
or nylon thread provides greater elasticity, and ballpoint needles are designed to penetrate
knits without snagging or breaking threads and causing runs in the fabric.
Knit garments will have areas where stretch is not an asset, such as the neckline, armholes,
shoulder seams, waistline and anywhere a zipper is going. Fabrics with little or no stretch can
be sewn into these areas to prevent unwanted give. Stay-Tape is a sheer, nonfraying stabilizer
used for fine knits. Twill tape, seam or hem binding, and clear plastic are useful alternatives.
Topstitching from the right side of the fabric can also prevent curling or stretching.
Zippers
A properly installed zipper is a thing of beauty. Zippers can be sewn into a garment by hand
or by machine. The zipper foot attachment for most machines is basically half a presser foot
that allows the stitcher to bring the edge of the zipper teeth as close to the needle as pos-
sible, while avoiding accidental stitching onto the teeth. With zippers, basting once again is a
designer’s best friend. Sewers should avoid excess fabric that might catch in the teeth of the
zipper; it is also helpful to start with a zipper that is slightly longer than the garment opening.
Before inserting the zipper, adding a strip of interfacing along the seam allowance helps to
support the zipper’s weight and stabilize the fabric.
Zippers come in three basic types: conventional, invisible, and separating. The standard zip-
per can be intentionally visible, hidden by a flap of fabric on one side, called a fly front, or
centered railroad-style with both sides of the seam working to disguise the closure. Invisible
zippers are popular because the opening appears to disappear into the seam, but should only
be used with the appropriate fabric weights and in areas that do not require great resistance
to stress. Separating zippers, commonly used for sportswear and outer garments, are inten-
tionally visible and easy to access.
TAILORING
Good tailoring demands painstaking cutting, fitting, pressing, and finishing. Also referred to as
bespoke tailoring, this process eschews preexisting patterns because it starts from scratch
for each new customer project. Suits, coats, and trousers are the traditional garments made
with tailoring techniques. Expert hand stitching is a key component of tailoring. Both hand and
machine stitches should be made secure at the beginning of a stitch as well as at the end of
one. Uniform lengths that are both strong and inconspicuous are desired. Using a thimble is
helpful when a stitch needs to pierce many layers of fabric. A professional tailored finish is the
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