Sewing the Slip Stitch

The slip stitch is a great way to finish projects like the gadget case shown in the photos in this lesson!

It closes seams using an invisible and strong stitch, so it's a wonderful way to finish machine sewn projects by hand.

For this lesson, you will need:

• Fabric
• An iron and ironing board
• Sewing needle
• All purpose thread
• Scissors

Slip stitching is one of the most addictive stitches for me. I use it every time I can! It's fairly easy and you get amazing results from it!

You'll use a slip stitch anywhere you need to close a seam cleanly from the outside. (In this case, I'm using a gadget case as an example.)

Start by lining up the opening edges so the lining fabric and outer fabric are both straight and meet right at the edge.

Double thread a needle and knot your thread. You want to start the slip stitch right before the last stitch - see how I'm inserting my needle to the left before it? This will keep your stitching nice and tight.

Insert your needle under one of the folded edges of the opening so it comes out right through the top fold of the opening. It may take you a second to get it into the right position - that's the trickiest part of slip stitching! It's a breeze from here on out.

Make your first stitch on the opposite edge of the opening directly across from where your thread exited on the other edge. Push the needle right through the top edge. Stitches should be about 1/8 inch.

Here's what it looks like with the thread pulled through.

Make your next stitch in just the same way!

Keep on stitching across the the other side. When you get to the end of your stitching, insert your needle through both sides of the opening, right at the top edge.

Tie off using the knotless knot we learned in "Tying Off to Finish Sewing."

In the next lesson, I'll teach you all about sewing on buttons.