Machine stitches: a beginner's guide
Straight, zigzag, blind and stretch stitches.
- Straight stitch is used for almost all construction sewing. Shorter stitches are tight and hard to remove; the longest is a basting stitch, meant to be removed.
- Zigzag's most common use is enclosing raw edges as a seam finish.
- A narrow zigzag can stand in for a stretch stitch on knits.
- A blind stitch sews hems with little visible stitching.
- Always test on scrap fabric first.
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A Beginner's Guide To SEWING! How to use a sewing machine (14:58)
By coolirpa · Open on YouTube
Chosen from its title and channel: a 14-minute video from coolirpa on the same topic as this guide. Embedded from YouTube with credit; we don't host it. It only loads when you press play.
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All checked 1 November 2026. We read these; we did not test the products ourselves.