The slip stitch is a great way to sew a seam closed invisibly from the right side (outside) of a project. It’s a great hand sewing stitch to have in your repertoire. I’ve been using the slip stitch a lot lately, so I thought now would be a good time to share the technique:

Start with the seam allowances pressed to the inside of the project along the seam lines.

Bring the needle up through the seam line of the lower layer of fabric on the right side of the area to be stitched. Insert the needle into the seam line of the upper layer of fabric just above the point where the needle emerged from the lower fabric, and bring the needle out again 1/8”- ¼” (3mm-6mm) away.

Take another stitch in the lower layer of fabric, starting just below the point where the needle emerged from the upper layer. Take a stitch in the upper layer of fabric. Continue until the entire opening is sewn closed.

Knot the thread close to the fabric. To hide the ends of the thread, pass the needle through the seam and bring it up through one of the layers of fabric. Pull the thread so that the fabric puckers slightly, and trim the thread close to the fabric, being careful not to cut the fabric. The end of the thread will slip back underneath the fabric for a neat finish to your project.

If the fabric can be safely pressed with an iron, you can run an iron lightly over the seam to help the meld the stitches even more invisibly into the fabric.

Maria Bywater is the author of Sew Jewish: The 18 Projects You Need for Jewish Holidays, Weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvah Celebrations, and Home. She teaches hands-on Judaica sewing workshops.