Bar tack stitch –
noun
- A reinforcing stitch made on an industrial or home sewing machine, used to stabilize stress areas in a sewn item.
If you’re wearing jeans right now, look at the pockets – do you see a line of tiny, tight zigzag stitches near the top corners?Those are bar tack stitches; they’re used to give stability and strength to the area of your jeans that’s going to get pushed around a lot – the pockets! To make a bar tack stitch yourself, just set your sewing machine to a very small, very tight zigzag stitch. In a blue jeans factory, you’d find a machine just for making bar tack stitches. Here is a quick video of one in action.
Places you might want to use bar tack stitches:
- garment pockets
- bag pockets
- belt loops
- uniforms
- sporting gear
- buttonholes
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Comments & Reviews
My bar tacks always came out terrible looking until I discovered these tips: Use a manual buttonhole foot when I’m making bar tacks – it keeps the stitches straight and even. Also, when sewing areas of uneven thickness, like belt loops, shim the back and/or front of the foot up with scraps of fabric until it is level.
Thanks for sharing these great tips Leila!
~Heather