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This article was co-authored by Lois Wade. Lois Wade has 45 years of experience in crafts including sewing, crochet, needlepoint, cross-stitch, drawing, and paper crafts. She has been contributing to craft articles on wikiHow since 2007.
This article has been viewed 297,793 times.
This stitch connects one fabric or one fold of fabric to another with nearly invisible stitches. Here is a hand sewing technique that can help you with hemming, applique and mending.
Things You Should Know
- Use a blind stitch to connect two pieces of fabric with no visible stitching.
- Long, thin needles make smaller holes and are easier to blind stitch with.
- If you don't have thread that matches your fabric, use gray thread. Gray thread blends in with all fabrics.
Steps
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Get the materials. Thread a long, thin sewing needle with thread matching the material you are going to sew.
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Secure the thread end. Knot one end of the thread.Advertisement
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Prepare the fabric. Iron the material fold to crease it if necessary. For example: with hems, or edges of applique.
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Prepare the fabric. Position the fabrics and pin them in place.
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Begin sewing. Slide the needle into the material from the back side to attach the thread to the material. The thread knot will hold in the material after the needle has been pulled through.
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Make even stitches. Start by making long stitches in one piece of fabric and tiny stitches in the other. Carefully position the needle points of exit or entry into the fabric to make the hemming thread appear invisible. See sketch.
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Inspect the stitches. By working even stitches, they will be hidden in the fabric fold.
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Finished. Congratulations on your new sewing skill!
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Community Q&A
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QuestionCan I blind stitch a pillow?T. ChinsenTop AnswererTo finish off a pillow, you are using a ladder stitch. The stitches are of equal length to provide strength for the seam. A blind stitch can work for a pillowcase hem, but not to enclose a pillow. The shorter stitch does not seal the pillow opening shut.
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QuestionHow do I do a blind stitch on a couch cushion that does not come off? Seam where knee hits is opening.T. ChinsenTop AnswererTo secure an opening on a couch cushion use a ladder stitch. This is done by making even stitches on either side of the opening. Because you are sewing across a gap, start the stitch a little before the exit location of the stitch. This will line up the stitches so there will be less of a gap between stitches.
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QuestionHow do I finish the stitch?T. ChinsenTop AnswererReverse the direction of the stitching twice for 2-3 stitches before cutting the thread. When the material is pulled, the stitching thread is now pulled in both directions. This prevents the stitches from coming apart.
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Tips
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Match your sewing thread to the fabric. This will minimize the appearance of any large visible stitches.Thanks
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Use gray thread if you do not want to buy matching thread that will not be used again. Gray thread blends in with all fabrics and can be easier to see for sewing.Thanks
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Do your research before picking a stitch. There may be other options to choose from.Thanks
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Things You'll Need
- Needle
- Matching thread
- Two fabrics to attach to each other.
- Thimble
About This Article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 297,793 times.
Reader Success Stories
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"The pictures clearly show each step of the instructions, and the instructions are easy to read. What stood out the most for me was the tip about a long needle. That is some great information!"..." more
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