Hand sewing basics: Finishing stitches

We classify stitches by their purpose:

Construction: making seams and attaching fabrics to one another

Finishing: making hems and closing gaps

Decorative: using stitches for visual effect, i.e. embroidery

Before you start stitching, it's a good idea to familiarise yourself with the different types of knot.

Learning these few hand sewing stitches will serve you well throughout your life - I think of them as life skills.

Have you got the right tools in your sewing kit?

Before you get started, download this checklist for your sewing kit which includes a useful guide on different types of thread and hand sewing needles.

Finishing stitches

These are my absolute favourite hand sewing stitches for two reasons:

one, they are done near the end of a project allowing you to see it all come together, and two, it is visually satisfying when you pull a ladder stitch tight and the thread disappears.

Catch stitch

A perfect stitch for hems. Small stitches are made from right to left, but the thread overall moves from the left edge to the right edge of your work. Each stitch catches only a few fibres and makes a large criss-cross pattern on the wrong side of the work. These criss-cross threads give this stitch movement and flexibility which helps to avoid puckering. It is used for folded hems and (if making very small stitches) is almost invisible on the right side. In embroidery this stitch is called a ‘herringbone stitch’.

Ladder stitch

Also known as slip stitch, this is an invisible stitch that is used to sew two fabric folds together. It is perfect for items that are sewn on the wrong side, and turned inside out through a small gap that is closed by hand-stitching (e.g. stuffed toys, pillows, bags, scrunchies).

Rolled hem stitch

This stitch is essentially the same as a ladder stitch, but it is used to make very small hems (often with light weight fabric like silk).

Finishing stitches explained in detail

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Catch stitch

1

Start on the left side of your work and pick up a small stitch on the hem from right to left. Pull tight until the knot holds the thread.

2

Make the next stitch to the right and diagonally below the first stitch right against the edge of the hem, but on the outer piece of the fabric (not on the hem). This stitch will be visible on your finished work, so make sure it is small.

3

Now move up diagonally again and make the next stich on the hem. The stitches on the hem will not be visible on the right side of your work.

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Ladder stitch

1

You will attach two folded edges of fabric to each other. Start on the inside of one of the hems to hide the knot and bring your needle to the outside.

2

Move the needle to the opposite folded edge and make a stitch inside that folded edge.

3

Move the needle back to the edge of fabric you started on and make a stitch inside that folded edge. Keep alternating sides. The only stitches you will see (if any) are the vertical stitches (the ‘ladder). You can stitch loosely and pull the thread tight gently now and then, bringing the two edges together.

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Rolled hem stitch

1

This stitch allows the thread to roll the edge of the fabric into a hem. Decide how wide you would like your rolled hem to be and fold, pin or press the raw edge down at that width, e.g. 5mm. Then make the first stitch another 5mm down from the raw edge (1).

2

The next stitch will be inside the folded edge, and it will be a long stitch (2). Remember that the short stitches will be visible on the finished work, and the long stitches are hidden.

3

Continue making short and long stitches opposite each other.

Every 5cm or so, pull the thread tight, which will roll the hem up and hide the threads within the hem. Do this gently to avoid the thread from breaking and the fabric from puckering.