THE SEWING MACHINE: THE ESSENTIAL STITCHES
The Sewing Machine Stitches You Really Need
In this article, I want to reveal those little tricks you should know that make your life easier. Okay, now you’ve bought your nice sewing machine, you’ve chosen the one that’s most suitable for you… and now it would be helpful to have a guide that tells you specifically which techniques and stitches are good to use or are essential. In reality, and the advice I’m giving you is based on 20 years of experience, you’ll use much fewer than you imagine. But let’s get straight to the point.
The Essential Stitches and those Worth Noting
The stitches you’ll definitely use are:
- Straight Stitch
- Zigzag
What… you might think, just these two?? Actually, with just these two, you can go as far as you want!! So, no problem if you’ve inherited grandma’s machine. You have nothing to envy in other machines… (quite the contrary!!!). If instead you have a latest-generation machine, the choice becomes much wider, but in reality (unless you’re doing quilting or patchwork) the additional stitches I really recommend are just 2 more:
- Darning stitch
- Triple stitch or stretch stitch
How and when to Use the Essential Stitches and those Worth Noting
The straight stitch is what allows you to actually join different pieces of fabric together, but it’s also used for edges, hems, decorations, and much more! It’s the stitch used 98% of the time. Practical tip: never make it too short, stay around 2.5/3 in length. This way you’ll avoid going crazy if you need to undo it.
The Zigzag stitch allows you to finish fabrics to prevent fraying, but also to join different pieces of fabric or projects in a “flat” way. It’s also widely used for mending if you don’t have other options. Practical tip: the zigzag stitch, using minimal width, allows you to sew on stretchy fabrics without the thread breaking.
The darning stitch is excellent, as the name suggests, for mending. I use it more and more. It’s like a giant zigzag, where there are always three straight stitches within the width. In the photo above, it’s the wider Zigzag you see.
The triple stretch stitch, as the name suggests, is super elastic and therefore bombproof for any elastic fabric. It’s a straight stitch, but the machine sews “forward, backward, and forward again” on the same point, three times. Practical tip: the stretch stitch is also excellent in cases where you need a particularly strong seam, like for example on the crotch of pants.
If you want more information, I suggest you sign up for my Newsletter below, where you can download my free mini e-book on sewing machine essentials. If you want to get even more serious, maybe my online sewing courses might be right for you. Discover them in the shop!
Have fun and, if you have any interesting stitch to suggest or any stitch you’re curious about but don’t know, I’ll wait for you in the comments below. See you soon!
Anita
