<p>Have you looked at the Alabama Chanin books? I've read only the <a href="http://alabamachanin.com/alabama-studio-sewing-patterns" rel="nofollow">sewing patterns</a> one, which is meant to help readers make the stuff that A. Chanin makes and sells. It's worth a mention for the clear photos and instructions for sewing seams by hand in cotton jersey. They suggest <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_stitch" rel="nofollow">backstitch</a>, plus hand-sewn <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zigzag_stitch" rel="nofollow">zigzag</a> or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanket_stitch" rel="nofollow">blanket</a> stitch to catch the cut edges.</p>

<p>For repairing a formerly serged hem, I use <a href="http://www.embroidery.rocksea.org/stitch/herringbone-stitch/herringbone-stitch/" rel="nofollow">herringbone</a> or straight-up cross stitch. For side seams that aren't visible on the public side, I use backstitch. Pockets are trickier because they bear weight; I follow <a href="https://tomofholland.com/category/darning/" rel="nofollow">Tom van Deijnen</a> there and accept that some patching can be visible intentionally, and lovely in its visibility. Which sorts of seams do you have in mind?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-30T18:55:00.810Z
2016-04-30T18:55:00.810Z
skg
<p>As discussed in the question about <a href="https://crafts.stackexchange.com/questions/201/what-kind-of-stitch-makes-up-t-shirt-seams-on-commercial-grade-clothing">What kind of stitch makes up t-shirt seams on commercial grade clothing?</a> we can now identify the overlock stitch. A cursory look at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overlock" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wiki for that stitch</a> shows that is way too complicated (or at least seems that way) for someone to do by hand. </p>

<p>When repairing a seam on clothing what would be a good stitch to consider that can be done by hand? I mostly use blanket stitches. However, those perform poorly under stress and you can see all sorts of gaps. </p>

<sewing><clothing>
What stitches are strong for clothing seams when done by hand?
Matt
# What stitches are strong for clothing seams when done by hand?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-04-29)

As discussed in the question about [What kind of stitch makes up t-shirt seams on commercial grade clothing?](https://crafts.stackexchange.com/questions/201/what-kind-of-stitch-makes-up-t-shirt-seams-on-commercial-grade-clothing) we can now identify the overlock stitch. A cursory look at the [Wiki for that stitch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overlock) shows that is way too complicated (or at least seems that way) for someone to do by hand.

When repairing a seam on clothing what would be a good stitch to consider that can be done by hand? I mostly use blanket stitches. However, those perform poorly under stress and you can see all sorts of gaps.

**Tags:** sewing, clothing


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-04-30. Score: 2

Have you looked at the Alabama Chanin books? I've read only the [sewing patterns](http://alabamachanin.com/alabama-studio-sewing-patterns) one, which is meant to help readers make the stuff that A. Chanin makes and sells. It's worth a mention for the clear photos and instructions for sewing seams by hand in cotton jersey. They suggest [backstitch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_stitch), plus hand-sewn [zigzag](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zigzag_stitch) or [blanket](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanket_stitch) stitch to catch the cut edges.

For repairing a formerly serged hem, I use [herringbone](http://www.embroidery.rocksea.org/stitch/herringbone-stitch/herringbone-stitch/) or straight-up cross stitch. For side seams that aren't visible on the public side, I use backstitch. Pockets are trickier because they bear weight; I follow [Tom van Deijnen](https://tomofholland.com/category/darning/) there and accept that some patching can be visible intentionally, and lovely in its visibility. Which sorts of seams do you have in mind?


---

