Sewing By Hand: Back Stitch, Half-Back Stitch & Prick Stitch

Let’s simplify our lives and have one go-to stitch for sewing seams and repairing. That will be the back stitch. Once you master the back stitch your life will be ever so simplified 😉

But seriously, the back stitch is one handy, all-purpose stitch that can take a lot of strain, pulls, tugs and general abuse.

Luckily though you don’t have to pick just one stitch to master because with a slight variation to the back stitch you will also be the master of the half-back stitch and the prick stitch.

This video will show how to do all three stitches, plus how to knot your thread at the beginning and end of your sewing and the best way to thread that needle.

Close-Ups and Summaries

The Back Stitch

The back stitch is used for sewing seams by hand and for repairing seams, especially seams that will get a lot of pulling like a crotch seam and an underarm seam.

Bring up your needle from the back and take a stitch backward (1). Carry the needle across the back, forward, two stitch lengths (2).

All following stitches are repeated in the same manner. When taking the stitch backward insert the needle down into the fabric where the last stitch ended.

The Half-Back Stitch

The half-back stitch is used for general sewing and for understitching facings.

Now if you’re constructing the garment you’ll understitch the facing by machine but if you have a ready-to-wear garment whose facing keeps wanting to roll out and you can’t reach where it needs to be understitched with your machine, THEN, this is the stitch 😉

The half-back stitch is worked in the same way as the back stitch except the stitch backward only goes backward halfway. The needle is inserted into the fabric, not where the last stitch ended but halfway between where the needle came out of the fabric and where the last stitch ended.

The Prick Stitch

Hear me now, believe me later. This is the way you want to put in a center back zipper. I don’t care what machine you own the prick stitch will look better and will be just as fast if not faster as sewing the zipper in by machine (with practice).

The prick stitch is worked the same way as the back stitch except the stitch backward only goes back one or two threads of the garment fabric (1). The needle is carried across the back, forward one stitch length which is about 1/8″ (2). You’re picking up the zipper tape underneath, and the seam allowance of the garment.

Please let me know if you have any questions.