How to End a Seam

Whether you’re embroidering a pillow, patching a shirt, or sewing a blanket, you need to know how to finish the seam. If you’re hand stitching, just hook a loop into the last stitch, thread the needle through that loop, and pull the thread tight to create a knot that locks the seam. Finishing the seam with a machine is even easier, just reverse stitch a few stitches and cut the thread and you’re done!

Table of Contents

Hand sewing

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Turn the fabric inside out. Flip the fabric over so that the left side is facing up. The knots to end the seam will be on the left side instead of the right side. You will also see the length of the stitches you just sewed. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Tip: Leave thread at least 15 cm long on the needle so that you can finish the seam without losing the thread.

Thread the needle under the nearest stitch and pull through to make a circle. You will bring the needle under the stitch closest to the thread and pull to the other side until the thread forms a circle at least 2.5 cm wide. ^{[2] X Research Source}

If the thread left on the needle is not long enough, you will have a hard time making this loop. If so, fix it by adding thread to the thread on the needle, and then insert the needle into the added thread.

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Pierce the needle through the circle and pull tight to form a knot. You will bring the needle over the circle so that the circle looks almost closed, then pass the needle through the circle and pull until it forms a knot. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

At this point, if you pull the thread up, you will see 3 small threads at the base of the knot.

Tie one more loop to create a double knot. If you’re stitching thick fabric or want a stronger end to the seam, you can re-thread the needle through the same stitch to form another circle, then pass the needle through and tighten. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Remember you won’t see these knots on the right side.

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Trim the excess thread and turn the fabric over. You will use sharp scissors to cut close to the knot you just created. If there is a piece of thread left, that’s okay because you won’t be able to see the side of the fabric. Finally, turn the fabric over to see the seam you just finished. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Don’t worry about cutting the thread close to the knot; As long as you tighten your hand, the button will not come off.

Sewing by machine

Sew by machine until about 2cm from the edge of the fabric. You can use an optional stitch pattern, such as a straight stitch or an zigzag stitch. Sew until close to the edge of the fabric and prepare to finish the seam. ^{[6] X Research Source}

If you are inexperienced with sewing and sewing with a machine, you should practice sewing with scrap fabric until you are familiar with how to use a sewing machine.

Press the reverse sewing button. Depending on the type of sewing machine, the reverse sewing button may be located near the stitch type selection button, which looks like a small round button with a u-shaped back arrow, indicating that the machine will sew in the opposite direction. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

For some machines, you will need to press and hold the reverse sewing button while sewing. Check if you need to do the reverse sewing, or just press the button to start and stop.

Sew 3 to 5 stitches backwards. Once the reverse sewing button has been pressed, use the handwheel or the pedal to sew 3 to 5 reverse stitches. The machine will sew these stitches over the straight or zigzag stitch you sewed earlier.

Using the handwheel is easier to control than using the pedal when sewing only a few stitches.

Tip: To make the stitches more secure, you can adjust the stitch length. Use shorter stitches so they don’t pull out or slip off as easily as long stitches.

Sew down to the edge of the fabric. You will release the reverse stitch and sew a straight or zigzag stitch over the stitches just sewn. Continue sewing until the edge of the fabric. The stitches are now locked in place. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Near the edge of the fabric, there will be 3 rows of sewing thread overlapping each other to finish the seam.

Lift the needle and cut the thread. You will use the handwheel to lift the needle and lift the presser foot, then slide the finished piece of fabric out and cut the thread close to the last stitch. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Cut the thread close to the fabric, not the needle, so that you can continue sewing. If you cut too close to the needle, the thread on the needle may slip.
Some types of sewing machines have a thread trimmer available on the side of the machine. You just need to press the thread into this notch to cut.

Advice

If you often accidentally let a needle pierce your hand, you should use a hand dike to protect your fingers,
If you can pull the fabric side to side without the seam coming apart, it’s firmly in place.

How to End a Seam

Steps

Hand sewing

Sewing by machine

Advice

Things you need

Hand sewing

Sewing by machine

Steps

Hand sewing

Sewing by machine

Advice

Things you need

Hand sewing

Sewing by machine

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