First project: pad stitch a sample lapel
Practise on scraps.
Step by step
- Baste hair canvas to a scrap of fashion fabric.
- Mark rows on the canvas, angled toward the roll.
- Pad stitch, with shorter stitches on the roll line.
- Check the outside: stitches should not show.
- Steam over a ham and let cool to keep the roll.
- Don't press it flat; use a clapper on seam allowances.
Watch
How to Pad Stitch or Feather Stitch a Suit Coat Lapel (11:17)
By Laurie Kurutz · Open on YouTube
Chosen from its title and channel: an 11-minute video from Laurie Kurutz 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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Sources
All checked November 1, 2026. We read these; we did not test the products ourselves.