The Art of Hand Stitching: Essential Techniques Every Sewist Should Know

We live in an age of remarkable sewing machines that can do almost anything. And yet, every professional seamstress I've ever known—from the tailors on Savile Row to the couturières in Paris—keeps a needle and thread close at hand. Some things simply cannot be done as well by machine. A perfectly invisible hem, a hand-picked zipper, the careful attachment of a lining—these are the details that separate a well-made garment from something truly exceptional.

I fell in love with hand stitching long before I understood why it mattered. As a child watching my grandmother work, I was mesmerised by the rhythm of her needle moving through fabric, the quiet concentration, the way the thread seemed to disappear as if by magic. Later, I learned that this "magic" was simply technique, passed down through generations of makers. And now I'm passing it to you.

The Invisible Stitch

If you learn only one hand stitch, let it be this one. The invisible stitch—sometimes called the slip stitch or blind hem stitch—creates hems that are genuinely invisible from the outside of a garment. When done well, you'll see no thread whatsoever on the right side, just a beautifully smooth fold.

The technique requires patience and a light touch. Working from right to left (if you're right-handed), pick up just one or two threads from the outer fabric with your needle, then slide the needle through the folded edge of the hem for about 6mm before emerging. The key is restraint—if you grab too much fabric from the outside, your stitches will show. I often tell students to imagine they're picking up individual fibres rather than fabric. Keep your tension relaxed; pulling too tight creates puckers that are impossible to press out.

This stitch is invaluable for dress hems, especially on fine fabrics where machine stitching would look clunky. I also use it to close the openings in linings after turning and to attach facings invisibly. Once you've mastered it, you'll use it constantly.

The Pad Stitch

Step into any traditional tailoring house, and you'll find someone doing pad stitching. This technique is how tailors build structure into a garment, attaching layers of interfacing to fabric while simultaneously creating shape. The lapels on a fine jacket? They get their beautiful roll from thousands of tiny pad stitches, put in by hand.

Pad stitching involves making small diagonal stitches in rows, working through your interfacing while catching just the back of your outer fabric. Each stitch is about 6mm long, barely visible from the right side, and the rows build up to create a firm yet flexible bond between layers. As you work, you slightly curve the fabric in your hand to encourage the shape you want—that gentle roll of a lapel, the curve of a collar.

This isn't a stitch you'll use often unless you're doing traditional tailoring, but understanding it gives you insight into how truly well-made jackets achieve their shape. It's one of those techniques that reminds us why bespoke tailoring costs what it does.

The Catch Stitch

Also called the herringbone stitch, this is my go-to for hems on heavier fabrics and for attaching interfacing to fashion fabric. It creates a crisscross pattern that allows for movement—unlike a straight stitch, which would snap under stress.

Working from left to right, you make small horizontal stitches alternating between the hem and the garment body, creating an X pattern. The stitches should be loose, not pulled tight. This flexibility makes the catch stitch perfect for knit fabrics, where a rigid hem would restrict stretch, and for heavy wools where the weight of the fabric needs room to settle.

I remember using this stitch for the first time on a heavy wool coat hem during my training. My instinct was to pull each stitch tight, and my supervisor gently took the work from my hands. "You're strangling it," she said. "The thread needs to breathe." She was right—a catch stitch should have a relaxed tension that allows everything to move naturally.

The Prick Stitch

This tiny, precise stitch is used for inserting zippers by hand and for decorative topstitching on tailored garments. On a beautifully made jacket, you'll sometimes see a row of minute hand stitches around the lapel edges—that's prick stitching, and it's a hallmark of quality.

The technique involves taking your needle back only one or two threads, then forward about 6mm. What shows on the right side is just the tiniest dot, almost invisible. It takes time—a hand-picked zipper can take an hour or more—but the result is exquisite. The soft, slightly irregular line of hand stitching has a beauty that machine topstitching simply cannot replicate.

Making It Meditative

I'll leave you with this thought: hand stitching doesn't have to feel like a chore. Yes, it's slower than machining, but there's something deeply calming about the rhythm of needle and thread. I do most of my hand sewing in the evenings, listening to music or the radio, letting my mind wander while my fingers work.

Use a thimble—your finger will thank you, and you'll have better control. Keep your thread lengths manageable, no longer than from your fingertips to your elbow, to prevent tangling and knotting. And remember that hand stitching improves dramatically with practice. The hems you sew today will be nothing compared to the hems you sew a year from now. Every stitch teaches you something.