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First of all, let me introduce you to a good friend of mine - the edgestitch foot (that’s the no. 10 foot for you Bernina owners!). This fella will help you sew consistently straight lines. 

How? There is a metal plate in the center of the foot, at the front of the needle opening. This allows you to push your fabric against the plate to sew even, straight stitches either on a seam (stitch-in-the-ditch) or away from a seam.

You can keep your needle at the center position to stitch in the ditch (quilters - have you tried this presser foot yet?) or shift your needle to the left or right, away from the plate, to do either of the three techniques we are about to discuss.

If your sewing machine does not have an edgestitch foot, you can still accomplish the following stitching techniques. All it takes is some practice, a good eye, and some edgestitching aids. Check your machine’s manual for specific instructions, and if you can’t locate your manual, a simple Google search of your machine’s brand and model should give you results.

Both techniques are visible on the right side of the garment. They are both decorative as well as functional. You can see these on patch pockets on the back of jeans - it is usually sewn onto the garment with a topstitch, which secures the pocket in place and also highlights the pocket with an outline of contrasting thread.

The key difference between the edgestitching and topstitching, though, is the distance of the sewn line from the edge and the stitch length.

Edgestitching is usually sewn between 1/8” to 3/8” away from the edge of the seam at a regular stitch length of 2.5 mm. This narrow stitching is commonly used on collars, binding, waistbands, and anywhere that needs subtle stitching. At times, it’s decorative, but more often, it is used to keep the garment together and prevent the seams from shifting.

Topstitching is traditionally sewn 1/4” away from a seam edge. The stitch lengths are set longer (3 mm to about 4.5 mm, depending on the thickness of the fabric). This is more for decorative purposes and allows the stitches to stand out. You may also use topstitch thread, which is thicker and is designed to contrast the fabric.

Left: Edgestitch with white all-purpose thread, and regular stitch length.

Right: Topstitch with pink topstitch thread, and longer stitch length.

Both stitches are commonly sewn with a 1/8” distance from the seam. However, understitching is only used on the inside of the garment or within the construction.

Understitching is essentially an edgestitch due to its proximity to the seam. However, edgestitching is not necessarily understitching since the latter is a functional stitch.

Understitching facing and seam allowance layers only with face of fabric to the left of the needle.

Understitching involves sewing the seam allowances to the facing. It serves a practical role of preventing the seam allowances from rolling out of place, curling, and showing on the right side of the garment.

Learn more about these three techniques at our upcoming garment sewing class and learn how to sew the Frilled Hem Top with step-by-step video and written instructions. It is the perfect follow-up class to practice skills learned from our Beginner’s Sewing Course.

Carla

Beginner's Sewing Course Instructor

Learn at your pace, anytime and anywhere. Review as many times as needed to gain skill-building sewing techniques to kickstart your sewing journey.

Instructor support is available through the course player message boards, or schedule a live one-on-one session via Zoom for queries and feedback.

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