List of sewing stitches

This article is about sewing stitches. For stitches used in surgery, see sutures.

This a list of stitches used in hand and machine sewing.

Machine stitches

• Chain stitch
• Lock stitch
• Straight stitch
• Zigzag stitch
• Stretch stitch
• Overlock
• Cover stitch
• Running stitch
• Back stitch
• Satin stitch
• Outline stitch
• Tacking stitch

Hand stitches

• Back tack
• Backstitch - a sturdy hand stitch for seams and decoration
• Basting stitch (or tacking) - for reinforcement or for temporarily holding fabric in place
• Blanket stitch - used to finish an unhemmed blanket
• Blind stitch (or hemstitch) - a type of slip stitch used for inconspicuous hems
• Buttonhole stitch - for reinforcing buttonholes and preventing cut fabric from raveling
• Chain stitch - hand or machine stitch for seams or decoration
• Cross-stitch - usually used for decoration, but may also be used for seams
• Catch stitch (also 'flat' & 'blind' -catch stitch)
• Cross-stitch tack
• Darning stitch - for repairing holes or worn areas in fabric or knitting
• Embroidery stitch - one or more stitches forming a figure of recognizable look
• Hemming stitch
• Overcast stitch
• Pad stitch - secures two or more layers of fabric together and provide firmness
• Pick stitch - a hand stitch that catches only a few threads on the wrong side of the fabric, difficult to produce nicely so typically used for hemming high quality garments
• Rantering
• Running stitch - a hand stitch for seams and gathering
• Sailmakers stitch
• Slip stitch - a hand stitch for fastening two pieces of fabric together from the right side without the thread showing
• Stoating
• Tent stitch - diagonal embroidery stitch at a 45-degree angle
• Topstitch - used on garment edges such as necklines and hems, helps facings stay in place and gives a crisp edge
• Whipstitch - for protecting edges