Backstitch, knots, and when I skip the backstitch
Okay. You can sew a straight line now, you can turn a corner without panicking, and you know how to start clean instead of that spaghetti mess of thread on the underside from lesson three. Now we're going to talk about how you end a seam, because a beautiful line of stitching that unravels the first time you wash it isn't a finished seam. It's a temporary one.
What backstitching actually does
When you backstitch, you sew forward a few stitches, then reverse over them, then go forward again. That overlap locks the thread so it can't pull loose. Without it, the first stitch and the last stitch on a seam are just sitting there, held by nothing but friction, and one good tug unravels the whole thing like a shoelace.
Most machines have a reverse lever or button right there by the needle. Hold it down, sew backward three or four stitches, let go, keep going forward. Do the same thing at the end of the seam. That's it. That's the whole skill.
Here's the thing though
Every tutorial on the internet will tell you to backstitch at the start and end of every single seam, every time, no exceptions. I don't fully agree with that, and I'll say it even though it puts me at odds with basically every sewing video ever made.
For a lot of upcycling work, casual stuff, a tote bag from old jeans, a pillow cover, a patch on a shirt, backstitching every seam is overkill. A couple of forward stitches over the same spot and a simple knot will hold just fine. You're not building a parachute. You're making a bag to carry groceries in.
Where I do backstitch, every time, no exceptions from me either:
- Stress points. Anywhere two seams cross, like the corner of a pocket, or the top of a bag strap where all the weight pulls.
- Anything that gets grabbed. Handles, straps, belt loops. Anywhere a hand is going to yank on it repeatedly.
- Waistbands and anything with tension on it constantly, not just when you're using it.
If it's a seam that just sits there quietly holding two pieces of fabric together, a knot is fine. Close enough isn't a setting on your machine, but a knot on a low-stress seam isn't close enough, it's actually enough. There's a difference.
Tying off by hand
Sometimes you'll finish a seam and want a hand knot instead of running the machine in reverse, especially on delicate spots where backstitching would look bulky or leave a visible clump of stitches.
- Pull both threads (needle thread and bobbin thread) through to one side, usually the back.
- Tie a simple overhand knot, snug against the fabric.
- Trim the tails to about a quarter inch. Not flush. If you cut it too short it can work its way loose.
That's it. No special tool needed, though if you're doing a lot of this a hand-sewing needle to pull the tails through to hide them looks cleaner.
A caution worth actually saying
Don't backstitch over the same three stitches ten times because you're nervous the seam won't hold. I see this a lot with beginners. It doesn't add strength past a certain point, it just makes a thick, stiff knot of thread that can weaken the fabric around it, especially on lighter material. Three or four stitches back, forward again, done. Trust it.
The cookie thing
I want to tell you about the time I brought a batch of cookies to one of my classes that came out flat as coasters. Not "a little flat." Coaster flat. I'd been cutting denim for a bag pattern that morning, completely absorbed in it, and threw a box mix together without thinking, and up here at our elevation you have to adjust baking, less leavening, a little more flour, higher oven temp, or things just fall apart. I knew that. I forgot it anyway because my brain was somewhere else entirely.
I brought them to class and told everyone exactly what I'd done wrong before anyone could be polite about it. That's kind of the whole lesson here too. Backstitching, knots, elevation-adjusted cookies, it's all the same idea. Skipping a step because you're rushing or distracted doesn't mean the step didn't matter. It just means you find out it mattered later, at a worse time, when the seam's already torn or the cookies are already in the oven.
Measure twice. Or in this case, backstitch the strap.
Try this at home
Grab a scrap piece of fabric, ideally something you don't care about. Sew a straight line. Backstitch at the start, backstitch at the end. Then sew a second line next to it, and this time just knot the threads by hand instead. Give both a firm tug when you're done. Feel the difference in how much give there is before it starts to pull.
Before next time: find one finished item in your house, a bag, a pillow, whatever, and look at where the seams are stressed the most. That's where backstitching earns its keep. Everywhere else, a knot's doing fine work too.