It doesn’t matter how experienced of a sewist or quilter you are—you will, at some point, need to rip out stitches.
Unpicking stitches has very little to do with skill level, experience, or the number of years you’ve devoted to working on your BERNINA machine. Mistakes are inevitable, and the most practiced quilters and sewists will still need to unpick sewn stitches at some point!
When it comes to unpicking stitches, the only difference between an experienced sewist and a new sewist is confidence. An experienced sewist has simply unpicked more times than a new sewist. They’ve become faster, more confident, and less nervous about what might happen when they make a mistake, and then have to unpick it. Consider your mistakes as opportunities to get better and faster at fixing mistakes!
Let’s review some quick, handy tips for unpicking stitches!
The Right Tools Matter – Get a Good Seam Ripper
First step: get a good seam ripper! You are only as good as your tools, and you don’t want a tool that might tear up your fabric or not create clean cuts.
Look for a seam ripper that is durable, sharp, and easy for you to hold. You should be able to wield it and cut through threads easily without tugging on the fabric or hurting your hands.
The Clover Seam Ripper (above left) is made in Japan, features an ergonomic handle, and boasts a sharp blade.
The Dritz Seam Ripper (above right) has a sharp blade, a molded, soft-grip ergonomic handle, and includes a clear storage cap to keep the blade sharp and your hands safe!
Pause as You Rip
We know you’re looking at a long line of wonky stitches and feeling the urge to rip through all of them at once. Resist that urge! It’s not necessary, and the likelihood of accidentally cutting or tearing your fabric rises. The threads will also build up in the ripper, increasing the likelihood that you accidentally snag your fabric.
Slip the seam ripper between fabrics, with the red ball on the inside of the fabric, and slide it through the sewn stitches. The red ball will protect your fabric. Pause every few inches to remove the threads that have built up in the seam ripper before moving on.
POsitioning your Seam Ripper according to the task & Fabric
See the position of the seam ripper above? This is a good way to rip through a seam where the stitches are short in length and tight. If that is the case, ripping out a few stitches and unpicking with your hands will protect your fabric.
Hold the seam ripper parallel to one side of the fabric and sever as many stitches as you need. Your work is best served by cutting through a few lines, and then gently pulling the thread out by hand. Have your glasses or a magnifying glass on hand as well as a strong light so you can see exactly what you’re doing.
This method of ripping is especially important for delicate fabrics like silks and knits! Resist the urge to simply place the ripper between two pieces of delicate fabrics and start ripping—you will cut, snag, and ruin your fabric!
Be ready to clean up!
Once you’re done ripping through your wonky seams, it’s time to clean up! Have a lint roller ready to go to roll up any loose bits of thread. Seam ripping can be a very linty business, leading to lots of thread fluff and thread bits. Having a lint roller or even some sticky tape (although, mind your fabric edges catching on the tape!) makes clean up a cinch.
Unpicking is a part of the sewing experience. We all have to do it, so we might as well do it with a smile! Hopefully these tips help you get through unpicking quickly, so that you can continue with the rest of your project!