newbie question: stitch length
 

i know that there are different stitch lengths. can you please explain situations where i would want more or less stitches per inch.

i'd greatly appreciate it

I usually always default to 2.5 when sewing a medium weight fabric. 3 for heavier like when I'm quilting and want longer stitches and not so tight. When you're doing a lightweight fabric you might want 2. I always sew a test swatch on the material to see how it looks. I think this is the only way you're going to know for sure.

I use 2.5 when I'm piecing. Short enough to hold the seam securely. When I SITD, I use a longer stitch length, usually 3.0. I use a really short length, like 1.5 or 2 for loosely woven fabrics, like homespun and flannel. Another time I use a short stitch length is when I paperpiece. Perforates the paper more to make it easy to remove.

I also use the 2.5 default for piecing. Paper-piecers like to use a shorter stitch than this because it perforates the paper more, making it easier to remove. When quilting on my machine I usually lengthen the stitch to at least 3 because of the thickness of the quilt sandwich; makes a better-looking quilting stitch. People who piece and have a problem with stitches coming loose at cut edges often find that shortening the stitch length makes their piecing more secure.

I believe the 2.5 is a metric measurement (millimeters). Vintage machines such as my old Singer use a different type of scale measurement.

I have a babylock and the default stitch is 1.8. I think it's a good choice for when you're going to be sub cutting. On occasion I've had my patches start to come apart because the stitches were too loose.
Cindy

I use a longer stitch (basting stitch) if I think I might have to rip the stitches out. It's much easier to un-sew. For instance, if I'm not sure something will work, if I'm trying something new, if I'm doing some difficult curved piecing - I'll start with a longer stitch. If all is well, then I simply re-sew the seam with a shorter stitch.

I'm a 1.8 girl. Using shorter stitches and more thread gives me more confidence in the strength of my quilt.

I agree and this is the length I use unless PP I use 1.6

I use 2.0 to piece quilts, 2.5 for sewing garments, 5.0 for basting, and 1.8 for paper piecing.

2.5 for piecing and 1.6 for paper piecing.