Hand sewing is one of those skills that sounds quaint until a seam splits on a trip, a button goes on a coat you are already wearing, or you need a hem taken up and there is no machine in the house. It takes about ten minutes to learn and you keep it for life.
This walkthrough follows Sew Anastasia, who runs sewing classes in Chicago. She builds one plain seam start to finish: cut and thread, knot, stitch, tie off, trim. Everything is shot close over the fabric so you can see where the needle actually goes.
What you need
A needle, thread, scissors and some pins. That is the whole list. A pack of assorted needles costs a couple of dollars and covers everything from fine cotton to denim.
Match the thread to the fabric weight rather than to the colour if you have to choose. Heavy thread on light fabric cuts through it over time, and light thread on canvas snaps.
The four stitches that cover almost everything
Running stitch. In, out, in, out, evenly spaced. Fast, not strong. Good for gathering fabric and for basting two pieces together temporarily before you sew them properly.
Backstitch. The one this tutorial builds. Each stitch doubles back into the last, so there are no gaps and it holds under strain. This is your seam stitch and your repair stitch.
Whipstitch. Small diagonal stitches over an edge, used to close a gap or join two folded edges. It is how you shut the opening on a stuffed toy or a cushion.
Slip stitch. Worked inside the fold of a hem so the thread is almost invisible from the front. Slower, and the right choice on anything smart.
Three things that go wrong
The thread keeps tangling. Your working length is too long, or you are letting the needle spin as you sew, which twists the thread on itself. Shorter thread, and let the needle hang loose every so often to unwind.
The seam is gathered and puckered. You are pulling each stitch too tight. The thread should lie against the fabric, not pull it.
The stitches show on the outside when they shouldn't. On a hem, catch only one or two threads of the outer fabric each time rather than going through the full thickness.
Where to go from here
The most common repairs each have their own method. Sewing a button back on is the one everybody needs first, attaching a patch covers a hole rather than closing it, and darning a sock rebuilds fabric that is no longer there.
For longer seams, a machine is genuinely faster. Using a sewing machine and threading one are the two things to learn, then sewing a straight line and putting in a zipper.
And once a seam holds, hemming your own trousers saves the $20 a tailor charges every time.
