Purposes and Characteristics of the Basting Stitch

with the thimble on your fourth finger. Keep your fourth finger about two-thirds bent. Three fingers are needed to guide the needle accurately and swiftly from right to left. Hold the material in such a manner that you do not tire easily; crossing your legs and resting the material on them is helpful. Never point the needle outward at arm’s length, because you may injure a passerby. Purposes and Characteristics of the Basting Stitch The basting stitch is used only for holding plies of material together temporarily, before machine sewing. This stitch is particularly helpful when you install a patch to a flight suit or a cover. Basting stitches are removed after making the machine seam. Two types of needles can be used for basting-either the straight or the creed. Use the curved needle for hard-to-get-at areas, such as basting a patch on a cover; otherwise, the job can be done with a straight needle. Make the basting stitch as follows. Thread the needle with a sufficient length of 16-4 thread, single or waxed. Tie an overhand knot in the end of the single thread. Turn under the material edge one-half inch, unless specified otherwise in the technical order. Make each stitch one-fourth inch in length and one-eighth inch from the folded edge of the material. At the end of the row of basting stitches, lock the last stitch with two half hitches. Cut the thread one-fourth inch from the knot. Figure 10-25 illustrates the formation of the basting stitch. Hand Sewing the Running Stitch You can use a running stitch as a substitute for a machine-sewn seam. It is designed to be a permanent stitch, when a sewing machine is not available. Use a straight needle threaded with single- or doubled-waxed cord or thread. Tie a knot at the end of the cord. The material should be turned under one-half inch. Insert the needle inside the one-half inch fold of one ply and push it through the three remaining plies so the starting knot will be hidden. Continue sewing the pieces together by using the basting stitch. When you come to the end of the row, turn the material around and go back in the opposite direction, filling in the empty spaces as you sew, as shown in figure 10-26. These two rows together become the running stitch. Use four stitches per inch (each stitch one-fourth inch long) and one-eighth inch Figure 10-25.-Basting stitch. from the folded inches. Keep enough Figure 10-26.-Running stitch. edge. Lock the seam every 6 tension on the thread to form firm, well-set stitches. When you make the last stitch, insert the needle through two piles and bring it out in the center of the plies. Make two half hitches around the stitch extending from the second layer to the third layer of material. Hand-sewn Overthrow Stitch You use the overthrow stitch to attach metal parts, such as cones and eyelet. For this type of attachment, a sewing machine is not practical. The overthrow stitch is also used for harness tackings. A curved needle is used when the stitch can only be sewn from one side of the fabric. Fold the 10-22