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

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.

His machine was a short-thread model that made both the running stitch and the backstitch.

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

The long forward stitch on the under side is three times the length of the backstitch on the upper side, and a space the length of the backstitch is left between the stitches.

From Handicraft for Girls A Tentative Course in Needlework, Basketry, Designing, Paper and Cardboard Construction, Textile Fibers and Fabrics and Home Decoration and Care by McGlauflin, Idabelle

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