hemstitch

[ hem-stich ]

verb (used with object)
  1. to hem along a line from which threads have been drawn out, stitching the cross threads into a series of little groups.

  2. to simulate hand hemstitching by piercing the material with a large machine needle and then stitching around the perforations.

noun
  1. the stitch used or the needlework done in hemstitching.

Origin of hemstitch

1
First recorded in 1830–40; hem1 + stitch

Other words from hemstitch

  • hemstitcher, noun

Words Nearby hemstitch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hemstitch in a sentence

  • Double hemstitching means to hemstitch the other side opposite the hem, by taking up the same bundles.

    Clothing and Health | Helen Kinne
  • Do you know that some girls are often confused and call the hemstitch, the hemming stitch?

    Clothing and Health | Helen Kinne
  • Now that you know the hemstitch, you can use it in many places.

    Clothing and Health | Helen Kinne
  • You have learned the hemming stitch; now you will try the hemstitch.

    Clothing and Health | Helen Kinne
  • Sometimes when a very open effect is desired it is necessary to double hemstitch the threads.

British Dictionary definitions for hemstitch

hemstitch

/ (ˈhɛmˌstɪtʃ) /


noun
  1. a decorative edging stitch, usually for a hem, in which the cross threads are stitched in groups

verb
  1. to decorate (a hem, etc) with hemstitches

Derived forms of hemstitch

  • hemstitcher, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012