Hand stitching

Let me first say that I hate hand sewing. And I don't just dislike it... I loathe it with a passion I cannot express. With the minor exception of embroidery, which I occasionally get the urge to do from time to time. I do understand that it is an important part of sewing, but if I think I can get something done on a machine, I will. At least until recently.

I've had a couple of teachers hand stitching teachers in the past (namely my mom) who have tried to get me to see the light, but now I'm trying to teach myself. I would really like to raise the quality of my costuming work, and that is going to mean the employ of more hand sewing. It could be either through basting pieces together, using thread tracing to make patterns, or just finishing the finer details that I would normally do in a machine. Some of the costumes I have planned right now actually cannot have any topstitching visible, so, things will have to be finished by stitching in the ditch or attaching to seam allowances... by hand. God help us all. Hopefully I'll have a couple of wonderful people to help keep me sane when this starts driving me nuts. And I hate to admit it, but... I've been practicing on my sis-in-law's dress and... well, I find this somewhat therapeutic. Except that it kills my back and fingers.

So, important hand stitches to know:
Running stitch, backstitch, blanket stitch, overcast stitch, blind hem stitch. I only know the first two really well and am still learning the hem stitch. Wish me luck!