The Art of Stitch Removal

April 26, 2010
By Steven Batts, Contributing Writer

I recently had surgery on my neck for a biopsy (don’t worry, it came back negative). As a result, I have a three-inch incision on my neck that was neatly stitched up by the surgeon. Since I need to have the stitches removed in a few days, I started thinking about the fact that my surgeon and I actually have something in common (I hope): We both have had to become experts at stitch removal.

When you think about medical professionals, you probably think of all the technical and surgical wonders they have to perform. However, you don’t really think of surgeons as having to be good at sewing, much less at removing stitches. It's just one of those side things that you have to learn as part of the business.

The same is true with embroidery. We concentrate on being really good at creating designs that look good and embroidery that will last, but we don’t think about having to remove those same stitches. Alas, we all make mistakes and correcting those mistakes usually involves removing stitches. Since I am prone to make mistakes, I have probably removed more than my fair share of stitches.

The difference between my surgeon and me — besides about $100,000 a year — is that he puts in the stitches with mindset that they will be removed in about a week. I intend for my stitches to be there permanently. Consequently, my surgeon's stitches will usually come out a little easier than mine. Either way, we both have to be careful how we remove these stitches so as to not damage the “fabric.”

Following are a few techniques to removing embroidered stitches that will help you become an expert stitch remover and avoid damaging the fabric.

1. Work From the Backside
First and foremost, when removing stitches it is important to do the cutting from the backside of the garment. Working from the front can be disastrous. Any nick or cut into the fabric shows up immediately. The stabilizer usually protects the backside, but even if there is no stabilizer, it won’t show any scuffs or picks like the front will.

This also applies when you have sewn the garment together. In this situation, most embroiderers tend to try and snip the threads between the pieces of material. Don’t do it! Take it from me, it ends up making a hole nearly every time.

2. Aim For the Bobbin
The bobbin is what holds the stitches in place, as many of us found out the hard way. If we can snip it, the top stitching will just pull right out. On your way to snipping out the bobbin, you may snip some of the top thread. That is OK, since it is coming out anyway.
Once the bobbin has been snipped, you can flip the garment over and start scratching out the stitching. I usually just scratch the top stitching with my fingernail. Once it loosens up you can start pulling it out.

3. Practice Patience
Be sure to take it slowly when removing stitches. Rushing this process leads to holes in garments. This is tougher than it sounds, but in reality, impatience is probably what causes you to have to remove stitches in the first place.

If you are like me, you get in a hurry and end up making a mistake. Maybe you spell a name wrong or put the wrong design on a garment. Maybe you forget to re-thread the machine, thus sewing the wrong color.

Now you are in a bigger hurry and are trying to rush to remove the stitches and repair the item. The trouble is that if you rush this part, you end up ruining the piece entirely. It is worth the extra minute or two to be sure it is done properly.

4. Just Picking
After the bulk of the stitches are removed, you will find there are little dots of thread here and there that didn’t come out so easily. These are the tie-offs from anywhere the design trimmed. How you deal with these really depends on what you are going to do next.

If you are going to embroider again over top of this area, don’t worry about them. The new stitching will cover these little pieces. If, however, they will be visible, you must remove them.

I usually pick at them from the top with a small pair of snips, a seam ripper or even an X-ACTO Knife. You have to be careful, but you can pick them right out fiber by fiber. You may have to go back to the backside and snip the knot a little to loosen it up. Then, you simply flip it back over and pick at it again.

5. Tools of the Trade
As the old saying goes, "Use the right tool for the job." This is as true for stitch removal as it is in auto mechanics. A good pair of snips with a curved tip is a great help when removing stitches, as is a seam ripper and an X-ACTO Knife. Another great took that I personally prefer is a device called “Peggy’s Stitch Eraser.” These are available from virtually anywhere that sells embroidery supplies. It is an electric razor with a specially designed tip that cuts stitches, but avoids cutting the material.

However, you still have to be careful. You also need to read the directions to find out how it is designed to work. It doesn’t shave the stitches; rather, it cuts through them. Because of that, you have to hold it with the blade pointing down.

This little tool does wonders and it saves a ton of time. I can remove stitches in a fraction of the time that it used to take. The best part is that it also keeps me from damaging as many garments as I did when I removed stitches manually.

As you can see, many of the techniques used for stitch removal don’t exactly apply to the medical field. I don’t want my surgeon working from the backside of the "fabric" with a Stitch Eraser. I do, however, want him using the same patience and skill I use when removing stitches. Maybe I’ll take my curved snips with me when it's time for my next appointment.

Steven Batts, a consultant with 17 years experience in the embroidery industry, owns Righteous Threads, Greensboro, N.C., which offers digitizing, embroidery and machine maintenance services. Steven regularly leads seminars at ISS shows and is an industry speaker and consultant. For more information or to comment on this article, e-mail Steven at righteousthreads@gmail.com.



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