A coverstitch is formed by two or more needles which add straight stitches to the fabric and a looper thread on the opposite side of the fabric that zig-zags between the straight stitches. A coverstitch results in parallel lines of straight stitches on one side of the fabric and an

overcast stitch Overcast stitch is a type of stitch used to enclose a raw, or unfinished, seam or edge. The purpose is to prevent unraveling of the fabric. Variations The hand overcast stitch involves small, evenly spaced diagonal stitches, binding the raw edge ...

on the reverse side. It is widely used in garment construction, particularly for attaching trims and flat seaming where the raw edges can be finished in the same operation as forming the seam.

Uses

Unlike the

overlock An overlock is a kind of stitch that sews over the edge of one or two pieces of cloth for edging, hemming, or seaming. Usually an overlock sewing machine will cut the edges of the cloth as they are fed through (such machines being called ser ...

stitch which is sewn over the edge of the fabric, the coverstitch can be formed anywhere on the fabric. The coverstitch is useful for necklines and hems, particularly in knits as the stitch will stretch. When the straight stitches are on the visible side of the garment, the looper thread on the reverse hide the raw edges of the fabric. On some garments, the coverstitch is used with the looper thread on the visible side of the garment for emphasis or decoration. A twin needle on a regular sewing machine can be used to imitate a coverstitch by sewing parallel straight stitches on the top side and a

zigzag stitch A zigzag stitch is variant geometry of the lockstitch. It is a back-and-forth stitch used where a straight stitch will not suffice, such as in reinforcing buttonholes, in stitching stretchable fabrics, and in temporarily joining two work pieces ed ...

on the reverse.

Standards

The distance between the needles determines the distance between the lines of straight stitches. Home machines generally offer a narrow setting of 2.5 or 3.5 mm, and a wide setting of 5 mm. Some of the newest home machines permit a 4-thread coverstitch which results in three lines of parallel straight stitches. The

International Organization for Standardization The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Ar ...

classifies stitch types in ISO 4915:1991. ISO 406 describes a two-needle coverstitch and ISO 407 a three-needle coverstitch.

Machines

Single-purpose coverstitch machines are used in industry sewing. In the 1990s, the functionality to perform a coverstitch was added to some home

serger An overlock is a kind of stitch that sews over the edge of one or two pieces of cloth for edging, hemming, or seaming. Usually an overlock sewing machine will cut the edges of the cloth as they are fed through (such machines being called ser ...

s. Most major sewing machine brands also offer stand-alone coverstitch machines for home sewing.

References

{{reflist Seams Sewing Sewing stitches