Stitches

What are these sewing stitches called?

My sewing machine only has 15 basic stitches and I'm wondering what these stitches are called and how can they be achieved even in regular sewing machines like mine. http://i43.tinypic.com/25zq8p2.jpg http://i44.tinypic.com/2z4wxe0.jpg These stitches are usually found inside clothes and tote bags. Hope someone can give a step-by-step procedure or direct me to a site.

Public Comments

1. Those are done with a binding or overlock machine. http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CATID=cat2559&PRODID=prd38177
2. Those stitches are done with a serger sewing machine, and are an overlocking stitch. A serger uses one thread, instead of two like a regular machine. Try this site... http://sewing.about.com/od/sergersoverlock/ss/serger.htm http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&rlz=1T4GGLL_enUS303US303&q=serger+sewing+machine&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=dy_OSf6VEcqEtwej4ZnUCQ&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&resnum=13&ct=title# Hope this is what you're looking for, Good Luck!
3. The first photo is of a coverlock or coverstitch, done by a serger aka overlocker (not all sergers can do coverstitching). It gives a very elastic but finished hem. You can fake this on the sewing machine by use of a double needle and a hand-wound bobbin of "wooly nylon" thread (or better:Polyarn from Superior Threads), but it still won't have quite the elasticity of a coverstitch. http://www.cedesign.com/familyphotos/sewing/info/cs_faq/index.html There's a good description of double needle hemming in Nancy Bednar's Encyclopedia of Sewing Machine Techniques. The second photo is a balanced 3-thread overlock, also done on a serger. Almost any serger can do this stitch. It can be somewhat faked on a sewing machine using a stitch that sews a seamline and also has a zig to the right -- you allow the zig to fall off the edge of the fabric. http://sewing.about.com/od/sewingmachineindex/ig/Serger-Stitches/ If you do a lot of sewing, you might want to investigate sergers -- they're sort of the microwaves of the home sewing world --- they stitch quickly and finish the edges as they're sewn. I actually do more serging on most garments I make than I do machine sewing. Good books to try to find at the library if you think you're interested in beginning to explore serging: ABCs of Serging; Serge Something Super For Your Kids; Ultimate Serger Answer Guide; Complete Serger Handbook. There are also basic instructional DVDs and videos available... titles include "Ready, Set, Serge", "Serge with Confidence", etc.
4. You can not do these stitches on a regular machine. A serger sews the seam, cuts the edge and overlocks the edge all in one step.
5. Number 1 - I do this all the time with the sewing machine and a double/twin needle. There is one for wovens and one for knits. It is a straight stitch and you have to have two sources of thread for the needles. If you have only one spool pin, wind an extra bobbin and place it under the spool of thread and then thread the needles. Be sure to use a foot with a wide opening for the needles to pass through without hitting the foot. The needle plate (metal plate under the presser foot) also has to be wide enough for the needle to pass through. Number 2 - Ideally, you would use a serger, but in a pinch you can stitch a straight seam, then between the seam and raw edge, make a zig -zag stitch. Trim close to the zig-zag stitching. If one of the 15 built-in stitches is overcasting, you could try it instead of the zig-zag. You can also buy an overcasting foot. This one is for Brother machines, but there are others available - http://www.sewvacdirect.com/brosa135.html Always try new techniques on scraps of like fabric before sewing your project.