I am a big fan of the musician Waxahatchee, so much so that my Spotify Wrapped included four of her songs in my top five last year. I am an even bigger fan of the zig-zag stitch, which is not a singer, but a technique in sewing and upcycling. I love and obsess over these two things for the same reason, their range. I can listen to Waxahatchee no matter how I am feeling and I can use the zig-zag stitch in a variety of different ways depending on my need.
What is it?
A zig-zag stitch goes in a back and forth pattern instead of a straight line. A straight stitch is only controlled by the stitch length, whereas a zig-zag stitch is controlled by both stitch length and stitch width.
What is it used for?
Finishing Raw Edges
For woven fabrics that have little stretch, a medium zig-zag stitch can work well to prevent fraying by acting as an overcasting stitch. I sewed along the edge of my seam to achieve this effect.
You could use this technique in upcycling when you are working with button-up shirts! You could also pair this with an additional straight stitch along the seam for added reinforcement.
Stretch Seams
A small zig-zag stitch can be used on knit fabrics to give the seam some stretch. I set my width and length to about a 1 or a 2 to achieve this and I was also using a stretch needle.
Make a t-shirt! Hem a t-shirt! Upcycle a t-shirt!
Applique
Applique is when you attach a piece of fabric onto another. The zig-zag stitch is perfect in this situation because you can sew along the edge of the shape that you are adding to prevent fraying.
I see this technique used all the time in upcycling! Particularly when creating fabric drawings on garments. The possibilities are endless!
How do you use a zig-zag stitch?
I use the zig zag stitch when sewing clothing as a way to finish the edges. I don’t sew clothing much anymore, instead I mainly quilt. If I appliqué, I usually use a blanket stitch. Occasionally I use a zig zag, especially when the applique piece is small.
I do alot of animal portraiture using the raw edge appliqué technique. After I heat bond all the individual fabric pieces, i use clear monofilament and a zigzag stitch to secure all raw edges. This locks all edges down extra well and also creates some texture since I’m sewing through all 3 layers of the quilt sandwich. Since many pieces have weird shapes, I sometimes zigzag with feed dogs in place and sometimes zigzag using a hopping foot and feed dogs down.