Hand sewing · First steps · 10 minutes

Whipstitch and Overcast Stitch

These stitches loop over and over the edge of the fabric. A whipstitch joins two edges, which is great for felt and stuffed toys. An overcast stitch wraps a single raw edge so it doesn't fray.

Whipstitch: slanted stitches loop over the edge. Dashed lines show the thread going down behind.

You'll need

needle and knotted thread
two pieces of felt or fabric

Step by step

Tick each step as you go if you like; ticks stay on this device.

Line up the edgesTo join, hold two edges together. To stop fraying, work on just one raw edge.
Start hiddenBring the needle out from between the layers, or from the back, about 1/8 inch in from the edge.
Loop over the edgeTake the thread over the top of the edge and push the needle through from the same side again, a little farther along.
Keep goingMake evenly spaced, slanted stitches over the edge, all the same depth. For an overcast edge, about 1/4 inch apart and 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep works well.
Fasten offTake a couple of tiny stitches in the same place, tie off, and trim.

Tips

Don't pull too tight, or the edge will curl or pucker.
Felt doesn't fray, so it's perfect for practicing whipstitch.

See it in the old books

Pictures and lessons from sewing and knitting books published more than a hundred years ago, free at the Internet Archive.

📖 The Mary Frances Sewing Book: overhanding and overcasting on canvas (1913) ↗

Sources

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