stitch

/stɪtʃ/

/stɪtʃ/

Other forms: stitches; stitched; stitching

When a needle pulls thread through fabric and into a loop, that's a stitch. Every quilt, no matter how elaborate, starts with a single stitch.

You can stitch a design on a pillow, or stitch up a hole in your jeans using stitches. Doctors sometimes stitch up patients' skin, too — if you cut yourself badly enough, you might need stitches. Another kind of stitch is a painful cramp in your stomach or side: "I stopped running when I got a stitch." If someone says, "I haven't got a stitch to wear," they're short on clothing. And being "in stitches" means laughing uncontrollably.

Definitions of stitch

1. noun

   a link or loop or knot made by an implement in knitting, crocheting, embroidery, or sewing
   types:

   crochet stitch

   any one of a number of stitches made by pulling a loop of yarn through another loop with a crochet needle

   knitting stitch

   a stitch taken in knitting

   embroidery stitch, sewing stitch

   a stitch made with thread and a threaded sewing needle through fabric or leather

   backstitch

   an overlapping stitch made by starting the next stitch at the middle of the preceding one

   bargello, flame stitch

   needlepoint embroidery stitch that produces zigzag lines

   baste, basting, basting stitch, tacking

   a loose temporary sewing stitch to hold layers of fabric together

   blanket stitch

   a strong reinforcing stitch for edges of blanket and other thick material; similar to buttonhole stitch

   buttonhole stitch

   a reinforcing looped stitch for edges, as around a buttonhole

   chain stitch

   a looped stitch resembling the links of a chain; used in embroidery and in sewing

   chain stitch

   the most basic of all crochet stitches made by pulling a loop of yarn through another loop

   cross-stitch

   two stitches forming a cross or X

   double crochet, double stitch

   a kind of crochet stitch

   faggot stitch, fagot stitch

   the stitch that ties a group of parallel threads together in fagoting

   French knot

   a stitch made by looping the thread several times around the needle before inserting it into the fabric

   garter stitch

   a knitting stitch that results in a pattern of horizontal ridges formed by knitting both sides (instead of purling one side)

   gros point

   a needlepoint stitch covering two horizontal and two vertical threads

   hemming-stitch

   a stitch used in sewing hems on skirts and dresses

   hemstitch, hemstitching

   a stitch in which parallel threads are drawn and exposed threads are caught together in groups

   knit, knit stitch, plain, plain stitch

   a basic knitting stitch

   machine stitch, sewing-machine stitch

   a sewing stitch made by a sewing machine, sometimes using more than one thread

   overhand stitch

   a stitch passing over an edge vertically

   petit point, tent stitch

   a small diagonal needlepoint stitch

   picot

   an edging of small loops, as on lace or ribbon

   purl, purl stitch

   a basic knitting stitch

   quilting

   stitching through layers of fabric and a filling so as to create a design

   running stitch

   small, even, hand stitches run in and out

   saddle stitch

   a decorative overcast or running stitch, especially in a contrasting color

   satin stitch

   flat stitches worked so closely as to resemble satin

   shell stitch

   a crochet stitch

   single crochet, single stitch

   a crochet stitch

   slip stitch

   a loose stitch catching only a thread or two of fabric; designed to be invisible from the right side

   stockinette stitch

   knitting stitch having alternate rows of knit stitches and purl stitches, producing a fabric as for stockings

   tailor's tack

   a loose, looped, sewing stitch used to transfer marking for darts, etc., from a pattern to material

   whipping, whipstitch, whipstitching

   a sewing stitch passing over an edge diagonally

   type of:

   sewing, stitchery

   needlework on which you are working with needle and thread
2. noun

   a seam used in surgery
   synonyms: surgical seam, suture

   type of:

   seam

   joint consisting of a line formed by joining two pieces
3. verb

   fasten by sewing; do needlework
   synonyms: run up, sew, sew together

   types:

   hem

   fold over and sew together to provide with a hem

   resew

   sew again

   overcast

   sew with an overcast stitch from one section to the next

   overcast

   sew over the edge of with long slanting wide stitches

   backstitch

   do backstitches

   gather, pucker, tuck

   draw together into folds or puckers

   finedraw

   sew together very finely

   fell

   sew a seam by folding the edges

   baste, tack

   sew together loosely, with large stitches

   hemstitch

   sew with hemstitches

   retick, tick

   sew

   cast on

   make the first row of stitches when knitting

   cast off

   make the last row of stitches when knitting

   oversew

   sew (two edges) with close stitches that pass over them both

   type of:

   fasten, fix, secure

   cause to be firmly attached
4. verb

   join with a suture
   synonyms: suture

   type of:

   seam

   put together with a seam
5. noun

   a sharp spasm of pain in the side resulting from running
   type of:

   hurting, pain

   a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder