raspberrymornings - Tumblr blog

[raspberrymornings]

Pancake’s Guide to Basic Handsewing (with pictures!)

Aka things you could find elsewhere on the internet but here’s my own take. Note that while the running and back stitches are historically accurate, my felling stitch is not done how you would find it taught to a Victorian schoolgirl.

Holding the needle and fabric:

Modern sewing guides often overlook this because it’s sort of intuitive if you’ve been doing this since childhood. For beginners it might not be so obvious. I hold the needle between my thumb and index finger of my dominant hand. For running and backstitch I keep the worked (already sewn) fabric pinched between my index and middle fingers of my dominant hand, and the working (to be sewn) fabric pinched between my thumb and index or index and middle fingers of my non-dominant. I leave only about an inch gap between my hands. This keeps the fabric nice and taut while I work, and helps me keep an even stitch tension as well.

Construction stitches:

Running stitch:

This is the *most* basic stitch. You poke the needle down, you poke the needle up, you pull the needle through. It is a very efficient stitch because you can poke in and out multiple times and pull the thread through all at once, as I have in the above photos. This is the stitch you use for most hand-gathers and for some seams. For seams, use it where there won’t be any strain, like a vertical skirt seam.

Backstitch:

Insert needle, come up as if doing a single running stitch. Insert the needle back towards your dominant hand, and come up past the end of the current stitch. A continuous backstitch will insert the needle in the same hole as the end of the previous stitch. A spaced backstitch will take up more fabric coming up and leave a gap between the current and previous stitch when inserting. The specific size of the gap is dependent on your needs. I typically insert halfway. This is your workhorse stitch for seams that need to be strong.

Finishing stitches:

Finishing stitches are usually for hems and seam allowances. These are also the stitches you might use to take up a skirt hem or shorten a sleeve. To start I usually anchor my thread by taking a tiny stitch through both the folded-up hem or seam allowance and the main fabric. Reinsert through the same spot and tighten. Depending on how slick your thread is, you may want to repeat this a couple times, shifting over a bit each time.

Felling (fold on the outside):

For felling where the fold is the only side that will be visible, take a long, slightly diagonal stitch across the back, barely catching the edge of the fold in the way up. Insert your needle next to the fold close to where you just came up and repeat. This is the fastest and easiest type of felling. This is also what I use for attaching lace.

Felling (fold on the inside):

When the fold will be on the inside and not visible, like a standard double-fold hem, you will want to take a tiny stitch across the “back”, either slightly diagonal or nearly vertical, catching the edge of the fold. You will end up with long stitches along the fold and tiny stitches on the other side. Note that the “back” in this case is actually the right side of the fabric.

Slip stitch:

This is for a finish that you want minimally visible on both sides. It is also the slowest finish. Insert your needle into the fold and exit the edge of the fold, catching a tiny bit of the outer fabric. Pull through. Insert your needle in the same spot or close to the same spot you exited the fold. Repeat. It’s called a slipstitch because you have to slip the needle inside the fold. You will have tiny stitches visible on both sides, which will be basically invisible if you match your thread to your fabric.

Decorative stitches:

Stem stitch:

This is basically the inverse of a backstitch. Like, in the most literal sense. It is worked toward the dominant hand, though you still insert the needle away from the dominant hand. You start by coming up from the wrong (back/under) side of the fabric then inserting the needle towards the dominant hand, about two backstitch lengths away from your start. Then you come up at the halfway point between where you started and where you just inserted the needle. Pull through. Insert the needle one back stitch length away from the end of the previous stitch, and come up in the same or close to the same spot as the end of the previous stitch. Pull through, repeat. This is my usual embroidery stitch for outlining.

(Reverse) Chain stitch:

I almost never use a regular chain stitch because it’s annoying and fiddly as hell. A reverse chain stitch is structurally identical but it worked completely differently. To start, make a single running stitch and come up one stitch-length away. Then slide your needle under the previous stitch and insert the needle into the same hole as the current stitch. Come up one stitch-length away. Continue sliding the needle under the previous stitch. I work it towards the body or away from my dominant hand, but I find working towards the body makes it easier to slide the needle under. It also does not matter from which direction you go under the previous stitch as long as it’s the same for every stitch in each continuous section. Make sure to catch both “legs” of each loop. I sometimes use this for decorative topstitching. It is very inefficient both in terms of time and thread, but it looks really nice when you get it right.

Those are all the basic stitches I use for my hand-sewing!

[raspberrymornings]

autumn cottagecore recipes 🍂 🥧

apple cider

apple crisp

baked apples

apple-pumpkin butter

pumpkin scones (vegan version here)

cinnamon muffins (vegan version here)

apple pie (vegan version here, or omit egg wash)

pumpkin pie (vegan version here)

vegan pumpkin spice cupcakes

vegan butternut squash soup

vegan wild rice soup

[raspberrymornings]

friends: what are some of your favorite cottagecore / commune nonfiction books? ones that have given you insight on matters such as gardening, cooking, community-building, et cetera?

✍️

[raspberrymornings]

what job would y’all have in the commune / intentional community / little cottagecore town? rb and put it in the tags!!

[raspberrymornings]

where on earth do persimmons ripen before november <- (im taking your silly post way too seriously. i hope you have a good day)

it’s just the vibes

IT’S JUST THE VIBES ANON … HARVEST VIBES

(i hope you have a good night too lol)

[raspberrymornings]

end of summer

[raspberrymornings]

(x)

[raspberrymornings]

Half Day Old Calf Says Moo

[raspberrymornings]

[raspberrymornings]

The view on the way to my friend’s house has so beautiful views of cute cows ✨

[raspberrymornings]

spring's just around the bend, green's just under the grey ♡

please don't use my photos for commercial use or anything but feel free to use them for backgrounds or whatever, if you repost them somewhere credit me please (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

[raspberrymornings]

Tiny forest finds

[raspberrymornings]

“perhaps, after the storms have swept by and the aeroplanes crashed into one another and wireless jammed wireless, a new creature may appear on this globe, a creature who, we pretend, is here already: the individual.”

-e. m. forster, two cheers for democracy

[raspberrymornings]

prince edward island 🌊🌲🪻🌾⚓️

[raspberrymornings]

alexandra yanul

[raspberrymornings]

Hello 👋 This is Moamen and his family from Gaza. Please help us evacuate to safety, complete university studies, and find a source of income after the destruction of what we own. We live in difficult circumstances and a difficult life 🙏🏼 ❤️ Please share and spread the campaign because I urgently need help and the matter is urgent. Because the campaign is going very slowly, there is no water and little food. Please donate and share please Moamen Majed, his four brothers, and their parents ($40/$30,000) - @moamenmajed-gaza

[raspberrymornings]

essence (@iridessence)