If you are into embroidery or sewing, you probably know the basic hand stitches, whether you are a novice or not. Below are 10 of the basic hand stitches that you should know by heart. Bring out your sewing kit and start stitching. Running Stitch Let us start with the running stitch because it is the most basic type of hand stitches. It is a basic stitch that everyone must know because it is the best one to mend clothing. To make the running stitch, bring your needle through the fabric from the back. Once the knot hits the fabric, make a stitch to the left or right. Bring the thread back up and repeat. Basting Stitch The basting stitch is almost the same as the running stitch but makes a longer stitch, about ¼ to ½ inches. Basting is usually done as an alternative to pinning or gathering fabric. Cross Stitch Cross stitch, also called catch stitch, is a stitch you can use for finishing hems. Starting from left to right, make tiny stitches on the hem. The stitches will appear as crosses on the wrong side of the fabric and small stitches on the right side. Make sure that you keep the stitches loose and even. Slip Stitch The slip stitch is perfect when you are trying to sew hems so that the stitches . This stitch is also good to use on patchwork. In making the slip stitch, the needle is pulled through the fold of the hem, then sewn to the fabric then back to the hem again. You repeat the process to complete the hem with no stitches coming out from the sewed hem. Backstitch The Backstitch is a strong stitch that was used to create different clothing long before the sewing machine was invented. In sewing backstitch, you pull the needle through the fabric, take a stitch downwards, then bring up the needle at the same distance beyond the first stitch. Repeat the following steps to create a chain of strong backstitches. Blanket Stitch As its name suggests, the blanket stitch is the stitch used typically for finishing the edges of blankets. To sew a blanket stitch, you pull the needle through the fabric about ¼ inches from the edge from back to front. Then, place the needle at a small distance from the first point and pull it from the front to the back. Then, place the thread under the needlepoint and pull the needle—repeat steps to create blanket stitches that are about ¼ inches to ½ inches apart. Overcast Stitch The Overcast stitch is usually used on the raw edge of a fabric to make it look neat and prevent threads’ unraveling. The stitch is made of short diagonal stitches done on the raw edge of the fabric. The diagonal stitches are of the same length and equally-spaced. A variation of the overcast stitch is double overcast, where you cross the stitches to form an X throughout. The double overcast stitch gives a smoother finish to the raw edges. Catch Stitch The Catch stitch creates a zigzag pattern that is invisible on the right side of the fabric. This stitch makes a perfect hemming stitch. In making the catch stitch, the needle catches a thread on the first fabric, then goes diagonally to catch a thread on the second fabric. The Catch stitch creates a stretchy stitch and great to use on hems where you need some stretch. Couch Stitch Also called a vertical hemstitch, the Couch stitch is a great option to sew a hem because it is invisible on the outside. To make the couch stitch, bring out the needle from behind the folded hem. The vertical stitch coming from the folded hem catches two threads in the fabric, then pushes the thread back to the hem and so forth, creating only tiny and almost invisible dots of thread on the fabric’s right side. Buttonhole Stitch Making the buttonhole stitch is almost the same as the blanket stitch. The only difference is that the buttonhole stitch is done with a knot. Create the buttonhole stitch by inserting the needle from the top then down. You loop the thread on the lower portion of the needle, creating a knot on top of the loop made for a blanket stitch. If used as buttonholes, you must stitch the buttonhole stitches very closely to each other to meet its purpose.