5 Ways To Tie A Knot And Secure Your Thread In Hand Stitching

Some people abandon sewing altogether in the initial days of starting sewing, just like my daughter did. She got frustrated at simple things like threading a needle, being unable to knot the thread and major things like the sewing machine tangling all the thread in the spool.

In Sewing, such frustrations come up all the time. If you are passionate, you brush away these irritations and carry on.

Making a thread knot is the easiest of things and at the start of sewing or embroidery, does the simple job of locking the stitches from getting undone. But, If you do not want a knot anywhere near your sewing – it is understandable, knots are knobby and somewhat displeasing to the eye (Understatement of the year). There are many simple ways of anchoring your hand sewing stitches – with knots and without knots.

• 1. Make a knot with your hands
• 2. Make a Knot with bullion knot twirls
• 3. Make locking stitch
• 4. Make loop knot stitch
• 5. Make a double back stitch
• AN EIGHT SHAPED stitch

1. Make a knot with your hands

When you have been sewing for a long time you can make these knots in your sleep. But to explain the twirls needed for making this knot is difficult – but it goes like this.

You take the end of the thread and make two or three loops around your right hand forefinger, then using your thumb, twirl it in the forefinger itself so that the loop mixes up. Now ease the loops out of the forefinger and then pull the thread to tighten the knot.

But if this one sounds difficult, move on to the next method – this one has no gymnastics with fingers.

Watch this video:

2. Make a Knot with bullion knot twirls

If this twirling seems beyond you, try this very easy method.

Thread your needle and bring the thread end to face the eye of the needle as in the picture below.

Twirl the thread over the needle two or three times.

Ease the twirls or coils slowly down the thread and it will tighten as you go down.

There you have your knot.

3. Make locking stitch

This method does not make any knot but makes a tacking stitch -this is made the way a tailor’s tack stitch is made.

Take up two or three threads with your needle; come again at the same place and take up two thread at the same place – this time making a loop; do not tighten this loop- leave it as it is.

Bring up the needle through this loop – now tighten the thread.

You will have made a secure stitch. Make one more to secure it more. Cut thread tail.

4. Make loop knot stitch

This is another favourite for anchoring thread without a knot.

To make this stitch first fold your thread by the middle.

Thread your needle with the thread tails – with the fold on one side – the thread tail is kept as a shorter side.

Now take up the needle through the fabric.

Without withdrawing the whole thread out, insert and bring up the needle through the fold of the thread.

Tighten – your thread is nicely anchored there. Carry on with your sewing or embroidery.

5. Make a double back stitch

If you dislike the knot on the backside of your work and want an easy way to secure the thread, just make double back stitches where you start. Learn how to do back stitch here.

AN EIGHT SHAPED stitch

Related post: 10 different ways to tie knots ; 6 Knot stitches in embroidery ; Hand sewing Basics ; Types of stitches with pictures.

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