backstitch

American  

[bak-stich] / ˈbækˌstɪtʃ /

noun

1. stitching or a stitch in which the thread is doubled back on the preceding stitch.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to sew by backstitch.

backstitch British  

/ ˈbækˌstɪtʃ /

noun

1. a strong sewing stitch made by starting the next stitch at the middle or beginning of the preceding one

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verb

1. to sew using this stitch

Etymology

Origin of backstitch

First recorded in 1605–15; back ² + stitch ( def. )

Example Sentences

The attendees laughed, but after the joke faded, I noticed my mother looking around thoughtfully, working to understand the new backstitch in the family thread.

From New York Times • Jan. 3, 2020

An infant's slips quilted with a single tiny backstitch in a regular design of interlaced squares, stars, and rounds.

From Two Centuries of Costume in America, Volume 1 (1620-1820) by Earle, Alice Morse

So Nanny learned to "overhand," And "hem" so fine and neat, To "backstitch," "run," and many a join That she could scarce repeat.

From Mother Truth's Melodies Common Sense For Children by Miller, Mrs. E. P.

The material to be sewn was held in clamps which moved it forward between the pincers to form a running stitch or moved it alternately backward and forward to produce a backstitch.

From The Invention of the Sewing Machine by Cooper, Grace Rogers

A story persists that about 1818-1819 a machine that formed a backstitch, identical to the one used in hand sewing, was invented in Monkton, Vermont.

From The Invention of the Sewing Machine by Cooper, Grace Rogers