Blanket stitch is an edging stitch worked along the edge of a fabric, forming a row of upright bars joined by a thread that runs along the edge itself. You bring the needle up, take it back down a set distance in from the edge, and pass it over the working thread before pulling through. That is the whole method. Getting it to look right is a matter of consistency, the correct needle, and knowing when to stop stitching by hand and let the machine do it.
At a Glance
- Works best on non-fraying fabric: felt, fleece, wool and boiled wool
- Keep stitch depth and spacing equal to each other for an even edge
- Use an embroidery or chenille needle with perle or stranded cotton
- The machine version is faster for appliqué and repeated work
What Is Blanket Stitch and What Is It For?
Blanket stitch is a hand stitch used to finish and reinforce a fabric edge, and it is visible on both sides of the work. It has three jobs: protecting a raw edge, joining two layers along that edge, and holding appliqué pieces in place while adding a decorative outline.
It earned its name honestly. Before overlockers, wool blankets were finished by hand along all four sides, and the stitch had to be strong enough to survive a century of washing. The Royal School of Needlework's Stitch Bank records it as one of the oldest edging stitches still in everyday use.
Which Needle and Thread Do We Recommend for Blanket Stitch?
For most blanket stitch work we recommend a John James embroidery or crewel needle in a size 5 to 7, paired with perle cotton no. 8 or four to six strands of stranded cotton. That combination suits felt, fleece and medium-weight wool, which covers the majority of projects people bring to the counter.
The choice comes down to two things: the eye has to carry the thread without the thread dragging or fraying as it passes through the fabric, and the point has to pierce cleanly without leaving a visible hole behind.
That gives you three sensible pairings:
- Felt, fleece and appliqué: embroidery or crewel needle, size 5 to 7, with perle cotton no. 8. Enough body in the thread to make the stitch read clearly.
- Thick wool and boiled wool: chenille needle, size 20 to 24. Larger eye, sharper point, and it will carry tapestry wool or a heavier perle without protest.
- Loosely woven blankets and knitted edges: blunt tapestry needle, which slips between the yarns rather than splitting them.
John James needles are made in Redditch in Worcestershire by Entaco, a business that has been producing hand needles in that town for well over two centuries. The point finish is the reason we stock them. A cheap needle blunts within one project and starts snagging the fabric, and most people blame their own technique rather than the needle.
For utility work, a repaired blanket edge or a patch on workwear, swap the decorative thread for a strong polyester such as Gütermann Extra Strong. You can see the full range of Gütermann threads alongside the needles in store.
Matching needle type and thread weight to the fabric you are edging.
How To Sew Blanket Stitch by Hand
Work from left to right along the edge with the fabric edge facing you. Each stitch follows the same path, so once the first three are even the rest tend to follow.
- Anchor the thread. Bring the needle up from the back of the fabric at your starting point, leaving a short tail. Avoid a bulky knot on an edge that will be handled. Two small backstitches inside the stitching line, later covered by the bars, hold better and sit flatter.
- Set your depth. Take the needle down through the fabric about 6mm in from the edge, directly above where the thread emerged. This distance is your stitch depth, and it stays the same for the whole row.
- Loop the thread. Before pulling the needle through, bring the working thread under the needle point so it sits along the fabric edge.
- Pull through. Draw the thread up until the loop sits snugly against the edge. Firm, not tight. If the edge starts to cup or ripple, you are pulling too hard.
- Space the next stitch. Move about 6mm along the edge and repeat. Matching depth and spacing is what makes the row look deliberate rather than approximate.
- Use a guide. Mark a light chalk line at your chosen depth before you start. Almost every uneven edge we see in class comes from someone judging by eye for the first twenty stitches and then losing the line.
How To Turn a Corner Neatly
At a corner, work three stitches that share the same entry point at the inner corner and fan outwards, one along the edge you are finishing, one diagonally into the corner, and one along the new edge. The bars radiate from a single point and the corner sits square. Turning a corner with ordinary evenly spaced stitches leaves a gap on the diagonal, which is the most common reason a hand-finished blanket looks unfinished at the corners.
Joining a New Thread and Finishing Off
To join a new length, finish the last complete stitch, take the needle to the back and secure with two small backstitches under the stitching line. Bring the new thread up through the base of that same last stitch so the join sits inside an existing bar. To finish a continuous edge, pass the needle under the first bar you made and back down into the fabric at its base, closing the row so the start and end are indistinguishable.
The needle path, one stitch at a time. Keep the working thread under the needle.
Where Do Customers Most Commonly Use Blanket Stitch?
The most common use we see across our shops is finishing fleece and wool blanket edges, closely followed by felt decorations. From September onwards, felt takes over almost entirely as customers start on Christmas tree ornaments, stockings and advent calendars, and blanket stitch is the stitch that holds two felt shapes together while doubling as the outline.
The rest divides fairly evenly:
- Appliqué on children's clothing, quilts and bags, where the stitch secures the raw edge of the applied shape and draws it
- Patches on scout and guide uniforms, school badges and workwear, where a hand-worked edge outlasts an iron-on backing
- Repairs to inherited wool blankets, usually where an original satin binding has worn through and the owner wants something that will not need doing again
Everything you need for these is in the haberdashery department.
When To Use the Machine Blanket Stitch Instead
Use the machine when you have volume, when the stitching is functional rather than decorative, or when perfect regularity matters more than a handmade look.
Most modern domestic sewing machines have a blanket stitch built in, though it is often listed as the appliqué stitch. Fit an open-toe or appliqué foot so you can see the edge you are following, and set the stitch width so the bars land inside the appliqué rather than off it. Anything with stretch in it needs a stabiliser underneath, or the edge will wave.
An overlocker is not a substitute here. It trims and encloses an edge, which is a different job with a different result.
| Hand blanket stitch | Machine blanket stitch | |
| Best for | Thick edges, tight curves, decorative work | Appliqué, repeat work, long straight edges |
| Speed | Slow | Fast |
| Control on curves | Excellent | Limited |
| Consistency | Depends on the stitcher | Uniform |
| Thread options | Perle, stranded cotton, wool | Machine threads only |
| Kit needed | Needle and thread | Machine, appliqué foot, stabiliser |
Do You Need To Learn Hand Stitches Before Machine Work?
No. You can start with either, and our classes are built that way. Machine courses such as Sewing Basics and Make Friends With Your Sewing Machine begin at threading and bobbin winding and assume no hand sewing background at all, while hand techniques come up wherever a project calls for them.
Blanket stitch is a good hand stitch to pick up at any point, however, whichever way round you came to sewing, because the result is visible straight away and the method is short enough to learn in a single sitting. If you would like to work through it alongside someone, Franklins’ classes and courses run across all five shops and cover hand and sewing machine techniques side by side.
