Decorative stitches
How often do you use decorative stitches, and if you use them, how do you use them?
I have recently got ahold of a vintage machine (okay, three of them) and their more limited stitch options made me think about the 12 available on my main machine, and I realized I could probably sew the rest of my life without anything more than straight stitch and zig zag. I mean, I’ve used the stretch stitches on my main machine for garment sewing, but you can use a narrow zig zag for knits, too, and sometimes I prefer that. Of the stitches I have, I use 4 of them: straight stitch, zig-zag, stretch straight stitch and a decorative buttonhole stitch. Today I tried all of them, just to see what they actually look like, and realized it was the first time in 15 years that I’ve used most of them. I made a little crazy quilt style block and sewed with decorative stitches over the seams, but other than that, I’m not sure what to do with them.