Unpicking Difficult Sewing Machine Stitches

I used what my machine manual calls a “knit stitch” on a pair of DBP leggings to attach the waistband to the pants. Turns out, I want to re-do the waistband, meaning I have to unpick the stitch from hell. Lesson learned after I tested the stretch of different stitches on my machine: this knit stitch doesn’t stretch much more than the others. But it is most definitely a sturdy stitch for a strong seam.

Knit stitch: #10

So How to Unpick it?

I’ve read all kinds of advice, including the obvious like bright light and patience and don’t use matching thread—which is pretty pointless advice if you’ve already used matching thread. Plus this gem that makes little sense: “Always baste knits to be certain they fit…” Why this doesn’t make sense: basting stitches don’t stretch; knits stretch; depending on the seam placement and negative ease, you’ll never get it on your body without popping said stitches. Maybe an extra-long zig-zag stitch would help, but that’s not going to stretch much either. So I never understand when people give that particular advice. Anyhoo…

I took my seam ripper to this nightmarish knit stitch. I tried the narrow pointy end on both bobbin and spool-side stitches. I tried the rounded end in between the fabric and the pointy end in between the fabric. I tried one stitch at a time. And I doth conclude: this stitch is impossible. Unless I want to spend an entire day or more picking it.

And I don’t.

So I’m going to put my rotary cutter to it and deal with the loss of the seam allowance around the pants. The waistband doesn’t matter because I’ll be constructing a new one.

Let’s Be Real

There’s really only two choices when it comes to unpicking difficult stitches:

1. You realize there really isn’t any shortcut, so you put in the time.
2. You say screw it and cut the fabric.

It’s at your discretion which choice to make. Maybe you value your fabric and the time you put into the project too much to say screw it. And that’s fine. Time to work out those patience muscles, then.

Me? The fabric for these pants was not pricey. The time I put into them wasn’t anything to note. So I’ll cut. If you’re stuck with option #1, sorry that I don’t have much else to offer. One suggestion I read said to sprinkle powder on the stitches if you can’t see them. Having never tried that, I can’t say if it does anything useful, but it’s hard to imagine it would. I mean, powder isn’t going to magically ignore the fibers of your fabric in favor of your thread.

The best I can say is learn from your mistakes now to know what to do in the future; such as

1. Avoid unnecessarily complex stitches. I personally use my lightning stitch (#5 on the diagram above) on almost every knit project. It’s not as easy to unpick as a zig-zag, but I’ve unpicked it many a time. It is doable with minimal cursing. I also use the highest length setting.
2. Sew with a slightly off-color thread. The average person will never notice.
3. If you can figure out how to make basting make sense for fitting a knit garment, then have at it.