How do I tie off after sewing?

Question

I just started sewing. I made some shorts and the seems at the end are coming out. What is the best way to tie it off or make a knot? Whatever I need to do to make it strong and to make it stay.

Answer 1

1) A line of machine stitching that's crossed by another seam does not need to be "tied", though you certainly can.  For instance, if you've sewn the side seam of shorts, the side seam at the top will be crossed by a line of stitching for the waistband, so that does not need to be tied off.  If you do the hem by hand, however, the side seam at the bottom of the leg will need to be secured.

2) There are a lot of ways to "tie off" at beginning or end of the  seam, including using the reverse button for a few stitches or using the stitch length controls to take a few stitches a length 0 or very short stitches.  Easiest of all, in my opinion, is to hang onto the fabric for a couple of stitches at the beginning and end of each seam -- the feed dogs don't get to move the fabric so the stitch length is very short.  You don't really have to change any machine settings to sew the rest of the seam except let go of the fabric.  Very fast to do.

3) You can also just leave some long tails and tie a square knot in them and clip the ends.  Not my favorite, but I have done it.

Answer 2

When you come to the end of your stitching use the reverse button to back-stitch. I do this when I start at the top of the seam as well. Have fun! You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

Answer 3

Depends on a few things.

Did you hand sew or machine sew it?

What kind of thread did you use?

Here is what I always do no matter what and i have neverhad a problem:

On a machine as you sew along and near the end, sew to the end then sew backwards over the same stitch a couple of times.

If you are hand sewing, then when you get to the end, tack it down a few times by looping your thread throught he fabric in the same spot a few time..like if you were tacking down a button.

Depending on the thread you are using you ca tack it down a few times and then know it just for safe measure but unless you are using a  heavy duty quilting thread there is no need to because the more you make the thread tense the more likely it is to snap.

Hope that helps, it can also depend alot on your machine. Some newer more sophisticated machines will do this for you but mine is an older janome that I wouldn't trade for the world! and I just do a backward stitch overthe original stich, backa nd forth a couple of times to tack it down.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

when you are sewing,

you already have a knot in there, don't you?

=)

Answer 5

When you come to the end of the sewing process, make a loop, then thread the needle through it,and pull it tight lol.