Furnished By Hand

What is a Back-stitch? For Beginners. 

The Back stitch has different modifications including the stem stitch, split stitch and the outline stitch.
 The method for back-stitching is generally the same: one stitch forward (underneath the fabric), and one stitch backwards (on the top side of fabric)to reinforce the forward stitch. This doubling  or layering of stitches (thread) is what makes the bond stronger than most others. We'll discuss the most commonly used back-stitches that we use here at Furnished By Hand.

The most common Furnished By Hand back-stitches are:

The Full Back-stitch:

This is an embroidery stitch that makes things look bolder. It's used for decorative borders and outlining designs. They're also great for reinforcing the end of a row of stitches.
Top View of Full Back Stitch

The Half Back-stitch:

Often called a utility stitch, it's useful for holding all kinds of fabric together; it's especially good for creating a secure bond between different textured fabrics. The top side looks a lot like a running stitch.
Top View of Half Back Stitch

The Pin Back-stitch:

Similar to a half back-stitch, except your top-side stitches will appear small like a pin head. It's very useful for attaching items like Velcro or for whenever you want to install something in a less visible way. 
Top View of Pin Back Stitch

The Back-stitch: Underside

The underside of back stitches look less uniform and neat. In fact the stitches on the underside overlap each other, each stitch reinforcing the strength of the other.
Underside view of pin stitch
Most of the hand-sewing we do here at Furnished By Hand is a combination of the half back-stitch and the pin back-stitch.  This combination creates a strong bond between fabrics of different textures and weights.

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