The Elusive Blind Stitch

Happy Monday y'all! I hope that everybody had a blessed Easter weekend with friends and family. The Hubster was at home ALL weekend which was fabulous! He has been working turnaround since January which involved him working 14 day stretches. We were glad to have him at home with us. Our Easter was quiet and nice.

In my last post I showed y'all the napkin pillow I made. I was having major issues trying to figure out how to blind stitch it closed. After hours of watching videos and reading tutorials I was still at a loss. Thankfully my good friend Jennifer who is an upholster showed me the trick. Many of you requested that if I figured it out to share so share I will attempt to do. I am NOT a pro and I am sure those who have been sewing for many more years than me have a much better explanation but this is the best way I can explain it.
Jenn told me the trick was a curved needle. She uses a suture needle that her Grandaddy gave her. I am so thankful she took the time out to help me! It was a HUGE help to actually see the stitch done in person so I highly suggest if ya know a sewer be sure to ask them first rather than trying to figure fit out on your own. 

After Jenn showed me the stitch the boys and I headed to HobLob in hopes of finding a curved needle.  Thankfully they had some. It was in a pack called repair needles.

First pin your closure shut. This helps greatly but you will find as you go along you can take them out.

Thread your needle. I purchased heavy duty thread so that it would not break when pulling on it and because the thicker it is the larger the knot is at the end so it is less likely to pull thru the fabric. I am using the smallest/skinniest curved needle in the pack.

Next make your first stitch at one of the ends of the closure.

Here is what that looks like. You are stitching the inside of the fabric on each side. 

Next up I turned my pillow around and started stitching on the opposite side in the opposite direction of the initial stitch. This is a MUST or it won't close correctly. I know this from first hand knowledge!;) 

Now you just alternate from side to side with your stitching. Do not make your stitches to far apart or you will leave gaps in between.

Also as you go along be sure to pay attention so that you do NOT stitch all the way thru both sides of the fabric. I finished up my blind stitch and it looked good but this is what I found when tying the knot off. I had to start all over.

 Just keep alternating the side you are stitching on till you get the end of the closure.

Tug a little and tie it off with a knot. This was still loose looking since I stitched a bit further down in to the closure. Easy fix!

I just went back and completed all the steps over again. Doing so just makes your stitch least likely to pop back open or pull.  

Blind stitching to me is a much more appealing option to close up a pillow rather than a machine stitch across the bottom or a whip stitch. It gives you a cleaner look.

Again I am NO expert and honestly it took me NUMEROUS attempts to get the stitch right. So don't get frustrated just know that you may have to take the stitch out several times before you get it right.
Not sure how helpful this tutorial is but hopefully somebody will find it useful!;)

With blind stitching under my hat I had some fun making a few new pillows yesterday after my men went to bed. Be sure to come back tomorrow and I will share them with y'all!

Have a grand Monday!

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Write by: AN - Monday, April 9, 2012