| Back Stitch for Beginners |
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By Susan Khalje
DIY Do It Yourself Network There are still times, despite all of the capabilities of today's sewing machines, when hand sewing is a worthy and even preferable alternative. Any skilled sewer has a battery of hand-sewing techniques at her or his disposal. Over time, I hope to share a number of my favorite hand stitches with you. For starters, I thought I'd start with the back stitch. It's the strongest of the hand-sewing stitches and the one used to sew many garments before the sewing machine was invented. Sometimes sewing a seam by machine can be difficult, such as, for example, attaching a heavy, gathered skirt to a wedding gown bodice. By stitching the seam by hand, however, there's little strain on the garment, it can be kept clean and unwrinkled and the precise placement of gathers, pleats and match points can be controlled. And although even the most carefully applied hand stitches cannot equal the uniformity of machine stitches, there are times when the actual stitching is relatively unobtrusive and hidden in the fullness of the fabric. That's when the back stitch can serve as a perfectly acceptable -- and really quite strong -- alternative to machine stitching. The back stitch is best done with doubled thread that is coated with beeswax. Simply run the thread once or twice through the beeswax, then press it. The heat will melt the beeswax into the fibers of the thread, making it even stronger. In addition, the beeswax coating will meld the threads together, keeping them from tangling as you sew. Don't confuse beeswax with the silicone thread conditioners on the market. Silicone will make your thread pull more smoothly through fabric, but it won't strengthen it as beeswax does. Start the back stitch by bringing the needle from the under side of the fabric to the top side. Then take a stitch backward. If you're right-handed, you'll be taking a stitch to the right. Then, carrying the thread under the fabric to your left, bring the needle back to the surface of the fabric one stitch length to the left of your original beginning point. Continue sewing, each time taking your needle back to the beginning of the previous stitch before moving on. In other words, take one stitch-length back on the surface of the fabric, and then two stitch lengths forward under the surface of the fabric. Don't pull the thread too tight; you want the resulting seam to be smooth and free of puckers. The top row of stitching should appear as a uniform row of abutting stitches, while the stitches on the under side will overlap. If you're afraid your line of stitches will waver, you might want to first mark the stitching line with a temporary chalk line -- it will guide your needle placement. As always, practice the stitch before you put it into practice. (Susan Khalje is an author and host of Home and Garden Television's "Sew Much More." Contact her at skhalje@aol.com. For more information, visit www.susankhalje.com or www.hgtv.com.) (Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.shns.com.)
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