Basting stitches, often mentioned in sewing patterns, are part of the prep work for garments. If patterns are new to you, you might wonder what a basting stitch is or why it's used. Let’s dive in!
A basting stitch is the longest stitch length on your machine, used primarily to ease, gather, and stabilize. We will cover the most common sewing prep work areas where basting is used.
Easing a seam in sewing is the technique of joining a slightly larger piece of fabric to a smaller one without creating gathers (intentional fabric bunches), pleats (folds), or puckers (unwanted small folds). This helps shape and fit pattern pieces together. For example, 'easing' a shoulder cap means gently curving a piece of fabric to fit an armscye, which is the opening in a garment for attaching a sleeve. Easing a bust curve involves shaping fabric around the bust's apex.
Now that we've covered easing, let's look at why it matters. Easing is key to creating structured garments and is what distinguishes tailored outfits from off-the-rack styles. Some beginner patterns skip easing, so you may not see this term until intermediate or advanced projects.
Easing & Gathering
To ease a seam, sew two rows of basting stitches along the seam allowance. Leave thread ends uncut to add tension as needed. On our patterns, these two stitches straddle the sewing line for even distribution. Gently pull both thread ends on the fabric’s ‘wrong’ side to apply tension after pinning pieces together.
To gather, pull the fabric in the opposite direction of the threads with more tension to bunch the fabric.
Tip: Only pull on these two threads to avoid opposing tensions, a common beginner mistake when easing or gathering.
Bust Easing
Intermediate and advanced tailored patterns will frequently include added length along the convex curve of the bust on princess seams, allowing the fabric to cup when tension is applied. To use basting to ease a bust curve, apply enough tension to the threads to compress the fabric without creating gathers (ruffles) or puckers (wrinkles). Focus the most tension around the bust apex area, which is the fullest point of the bust curve.
Some patterns mark this area with a line or an arrow, placed near or on each side of the apex. If unmarked, look for the widest point on the convex curve. It’s helpful to sew basting stitches that extend several inches past the bust apex, so you can spread the tension gradually and prevent obvious puckering.
If a princess seam side panel is longer than the center front, it requires easing at the bust
curve. Pin the pieces together, starting at the endpoints and working toward the bust area, then ease them together to ensure proper tension at the bust apex.
Stabilizing Stitch
Basting can stabilize sewing lines, especially for complex seams. If you notch and stretch a piece, baste just inside the seam allowance before cutting. For easy removal, use a contrasting thread if basting right on the seam line.
Stabilizing stitches are also used to add a small amount of structure along necklines, reinforce fabric, and prevent stretching, particularly on delicate fabrics. A basting stitch along delicate fabric edges prevents them from being sucked into the needle plate. They also help reduce the number of pins needed to assemble complex designs.
Set-in Sleeves
For sleeves, basting is often necessary. Basting is used for ‘set-in’ sleeves. Set-in sleeves have a rounded cap that is larger than the armscye (armhole) to allow movement and create specific silhouettes. Sleeve caps vary in ease (extra fabric) to create a variety of different styles. Gathered sleeves have more ease in the cap, creating a puff at the shoulder seam.
Depending on the design, the sleeve cap is either eased or gathered to fit the armscye. Basting that straddles the sewing line allows you to adjust the cap before and during sewing, thus avoiding puckering from pinning alone.
The method for attaching a set-in sleeve is to sew it 'in the round.' This means sewing fabric pieces together in a circle rather than sewing them flat. Unlike flat construction, where sleeves are sewn in before the side seams, this method requires sewing the side seams first to create a circular opening, called the 'armscye' (armhole).
To put this in context, these are technical terms and techniques developed for couture tailoring, designed to achieve the best possible fit for a garment. A major difference between couture and ready-to-wear fashion is the amount of prep involved. As
fashion has evolved, the amount of specialized skills and prep work required has decreased, enabling factories to speed up assembly. Garment patterns have mirrored this transition. There are easier methods demonstrated online that offer shortcuts inspired by modern fast-fashion construction methods for sewing sleeves flat, but you’ll still need to baste the sleeve cap before sewing if the sleeve is designed with ease in the sleeve cap.
Find a selection of patterns in our store that can help you brush up on your easing skills.
Happy Sewing!
