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Dear Sewfie,
I like to sew, but I am having trouble basting. It takes longer than I think it should. Should I skip it or do you have any tips?
Thanks!

-Izzi

Dear Izzi,
If the pattern is recommending it, you definitely shouldn’t skip it. Basting is usually recommended for seams that are long (such as a skirt hem) or for areas that are too complicated or bulky to easily use pins (such as the bottom seam of our Grab ‘n’ Go Diaper Clutch, see photo below). Also, basting is often called for because it is easier to stitch over with your sewing machine than pins.

Here are Sewfie’s tips for making basting less painful:

Use long stitches. Basting doesn’t have to be tiny and accurate like your hand sewing stitches. For basting, use a big, long running stitch. ½” stitches (or longer) are perfectly OK and help to get the job done faster.
Baste slightly inside your seam allowance. For example if you have a 5/8” seam allowance for a garment, baste at ½” from the edge of your fabric. This way, after you machine stitch your seam, you won’t even see the basting stitches and you won’t have to take them out! Not having to pick out all those stitches later will save you some time.
Lay your work on a flat surface like a table or a floor (not your lap). Make several stitches at a time with your needle (see photo below) and then pull the thread through. Its like getting two stitches for the price of one! This will make it go faster, too.

Finally, instead of using a single strand of thread like many sewing instructions recommend, use a double strand of thread, knotted at the end. This will keep your needle from falling off the thread all the time, which is what always happens to me. Not having to re-thread your needle 10 times will save you time as well.

In the end, basting seems like a hassle but it really does help you get good results the first time. And after all the hard work you put into your wonderful handmade creation, isn’t it worth it?