Use of the Hand-sewn Hidden Stitch and the Needle Used

239.256A Figure 10-29.—Baseball stitch (top view. needle from the outside of the lower ply and bring it out the center of the plies, forming a straight overthrow stitch at the beginning of the seam, as shown in view B of figure 10-28. Start the baseball stitch by inserting the needle in the center of the plies toward the outside of the opposite piece of material, as shown in view C of figure 10-28. Proceed with the baseball stitch along the folded edges of the fabric (or the edges of the leather), as shown in figure 10-29. Insert the needle from the inside of the folded edges, only one-sixth inch from the folded edge, as shown in views D, E, and F of figure 10-28. Keep enough tension on the thread to remove all loops and slack thread. Do not apply too much tension because this tends to pucker or draw the seam out of line. Every time you sew 6 inches of the baseball stitch, make a lock knot, as shown in figure 10-30. After the last two stitches of the baseball stitch, finish with a straight overthrow stitch and two half hitches. Use of the Hand-sewn Hidden Stitch and the Needle Used The hidden stitch is usually used to make repairs on upholstery and on clothing where good appearance is important. To make this stitch, select a 2 1/2-inch curved needle and a length of suitable thread. Thread the needle to sew with a single thread and tie a knot in the long end. Fold under one-half inch of material and place it on the other piece of material, as shown in figure 10-31. Start the stitch by pushing the needle through the back of the fold, about one-eighth 239.256B Figure 10-30.—Forming a lock knot for the baseball stitch. inch from the end. Pull the needle through the bottom material at a point directly below where the needle came out of the fold. Guide the needle so that the point comes out again about one- fourth inch along the line of the seam. The point should come out directly below the creased edge, as shown in view A of figure 10-31. Pull the needle and thread out to draw the stitch tight. Push the needle into the front edge of the fold directly above the point where the needle came out of the bottom material. Guide the needle point along the inside of the fold so that it again comes out the creased edge about one-fourth inch from where it entered, as shown in view B of figure 10-31. Pull the stitch tight and repeat the previous steps until the end is reached. Finish the seam off by coming back one stitch (through the opposite material) so that the needle reappears alongside the exposed thread of the next-to-the-last stitch. Tie two half hitches around the exposed thread. MACHINE-SEWN SEAMS Chances are you have been accomplishing sewing projects since you arrived at your new assignment. Then again, you may have done no sewing at all. The amount of sewing done in your shop depends upon the mission of your base. If your unit does much fabrication, then you probably will do quite a lot of machine sewing. 10-24