Originally Posted by Inge
What is stitch in the ditch mean?
Stitching "in the ditch" is quilting right along the seam. Since I hand quilt, I make sure all my seams are pressed to one side, so I can stitch next to the seam on the side where the extra fabric is not. (Stitching through the seam allowance is too thick for nice hand-made stitches.) Your stitches almost disappear when stitching in the ditch. I usually SITD when I want to bring out the patchwork design, around a quilt block, or along the seam where a border joins the quilt to make it puff up nicely. It's also good to do when you're learning to hand quilt and you don't want your stitches to show up as much.