ESSENTIAL GUIDE Exploring Machine Blanket Stitch
“Blanket stitch is an old stitch often worked by hand, but here we discover how to achieve pleasing results by machine.”
– Lin Clements
WHAT IS BLANKET STITCH?
Originally, blanket stitch was worked by hand, mainly, as the name suggests, for forming a firm edge on an unhemmed or rolled-edge blanket. Due to its decorative nature, the stitch also became very popular for crazy quilting in the Victorian era and then for outlining appliqué motifs. It is still used widely today, for clothing, household textiles and in patchwork, appliqué and embroidery. Blanket stitch may also be called by other names. When it is worked with the stitches packed tightly together, it is called buttonhole stitch (although the techniques are slightly different). When worked by machine, it may be called whip stitch. In America, it may be referred to as blanket edge stitch or merrow crochet stitch (named after the Merrow Machine Company).
We looked specifically at hand blanket stitch for appliqué in a previous Essential Guide (Issue 29), so in this article we will focus on the techniques needed to sew blanket stitch by machine. The machine technique has the advantage of being faster than the hand method, and if you love appliqué but can’t find the time to do as much as you’d like, then a machine technique may be the answer.
If you want to get a book on blanket stitch, then I would recommend Lynne Edwards’ lovely , which
