Stitch (textile arts)

Single turn or loop of yarn

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (December 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Hand-stitches

In the textile arts, a stitch is a single turn or loop of thread, or yarn. Stitches are the fundamental elements of sewing, knitting, embroidery, crochet, and needle lace-making, whether by hand or machine.[1] A variety of stitches, each with one or more names, are used for specific purposes.

## Sewing, embroidery, and lace

[edit]

Main articles: List of sewing stitches and embroidery stitch

Examples include:

* Backstitch
* Overcast stitch
* Cross stitch
* Buttonhole or blanket stitch
* Chain stitch
* Knot stitch

These stitches and their variations are named according to the position of the needle and direction of sewing (running stitch, backstitch), the form or shape of the stitch (chain stitch, feather stitch) or the purpose of the stitch (tailor's tack, hem stitch).[2]

Sewing machine stitches are classified by their structure:

* Chain stitch, made with one thread
* Lockstitch, made with two threads
* Overlock, made with one to five threads
* Coverstitch, made with two or four threads (a twine)

More advanced machine stitches mimic traditional hand stitches using variations on the basic stitches.[2] Many of these stitches though found centuries ago, are still used today.

## Knitting

[edit]

Main articles: Knitting and List of knitting stitches

In knitting, a stitch is a single loop of yarn, secured to the loops beside it to form a row or course of stitches and to the loops above and below it to form a wale.

In securing the previous stitch in a wale, the next stitch can pass through the previous loop either from below or above. If the former, the stitch is denoted as a knit stitch or a plain stitch; if the latter, as a purl stitch. The two stitches are related in that a knit stitch seen from one side of the fabric appears as a purl stitch on the other side.

## Crochet

[edit]

Main article: List of crochet stitches

In crochet, stitches are made by pulling a loop of thread through the work with a crochet hook. Crochet stitches are named based on their structure. In the English-speaking crochet world, basic stitches have different names that vary by country. The differences are usually referred to as UK/US or British/American.

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Picken (1957), p. 322
2. ^ a b Reader's Digest (1976), pp. 122–143

## References

[edit]

* Picken, Mary Brooks (1957). The Fashion Dictionary. Funk and Wagnalls.
* Reader's Digest (1976). Complete Guide to Sewing. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. ISBN 0-89577-026-1.

* v
* t
* e

Textile arts

Fundamentals|

* Beadwork
* Braid
* Crochet
* Dyeing
* Embroidery
* Lace
* Macramé
* Needlework
* Fabric
* Felting
* Fiber
* Knitting
* Layering
* Appliqué
* Patchwork
* Quilting
* Nålebinding
* Plying
* Rope
* Rug making
* Sewing
* Passementerie
* Stitch
* Spinning
* Textile printing
* Weaving
* Yarn

History of ...|

* Clothing and textiles
* Quilting
* Silk
* Byzantine
* Indian subcontinent
* Textile manufacture during the British Industrial Revolution
* Textile manufacturing by pre-industrial methods
* Timeline of clothing and textiles technology

Regional and ethnic|

* African
* Kongo
* Kuba
* Australian Aboriginal
* Burmese
* Acheik
* Hmong
* Indigenous peoples of the Americas
* Andean
* Mapuche
* Maya
* Mexican
* Navajo
* Oaxacan
* Indonesian
* Balinese
* Sumba
* Korean
* Māori

Related|

* Blocking
* Clothing
* Conservation and restoration
* Fiber art
* wearable fiber art
* Industry
* Manufacturing
* Mathematics and fiber arts
* Recycling
* Units of measurement

Glossaries|

* Dyeing terms
* Sewing terms
* Textile manufacturing terms

Clothing portal

* v
* t
* e

Sewing

Techniques|

* Basting
* Cut
* Darning
* Ease
* Embellishment
* Fabric tube turning
* Floating canvas
* Gather
* Godet
* Gore
* Gusset
* Heirloom sewing
* Pleat
* Shirring

Stitches
(list)|

* Backstitch
* Bar tack
* Blanket
* Blind stitch
* Buttonhole
* Catch stitch
* Chain stitch
* Coverstitch
* Cross-stitch
* Embroidery stitch
* Hemstitch
* Lockstitch
* Overlock
* Pad stitch
* Pick stitch
* Rantering
* Running
* Sashiko
* Stoating
* Tack
* Topstitch
* Zigzag

Seams|

* Neckline
* Felled seam
* Princess seams
* Seam allowance
* Style line

* Notions
* Trim

* Bias tape
* Collar stay
* Elastic
* Galloon
* Grommet/eyelet
* Interfacing
* Passementerie
* Piping
* Ruffle
* Rickrack
* Self-fabric
* Soutache
* Twill tape
* Wrights

Closures|

* Buckle
* Button
* Buttonhole
* Frog
* Hook-and-eye
* Hook-and-loop fastener
* Shank
* Snap
* Zipper

Materials|

* Grain/bias
* Selvage
* Textile/fabric
* Thread
* Yarn

Tools|

* Bobbin
* Dress form
* Needlecase
* Needle threader
* Pattern notcher
* Pin
* Pincushion
* Pinking shears
* Scissors
* Seam ripper
* Sewing gauge
* Sewing needle
* Stitching awl
* Tailor's ham
* Tape measure
* Thimble
* Tracing paper
* Tracing wheel

* Trades
* Suppliers

* Cloth merchant
* Draper
* Dressmaker
* Haberdasher
* Mercer
* Silkwoman
* Tailor

Manufacturers|

| Patterns|

* Butterick
* Burda
* Clothkits
* McCall's
* Simplicity

|

Machines
(list)|

* Barthélemy Thimonnier
* Bernina
* Brother
* Elias Howe
* Elna
* Feiyue
* Frister & Rossmann
* Janome
* Jones
* Juki
* Merrow
* New Home
* Pfaff
* Sewmor
* Singer
* Tape edge machine
* Viking/Husqvarna
* White

* Media related to Sewing at Wikimedia Commons
* Clothing portal
* Glossary of terms

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template