The blanket stitch is a stitch

Stitch (textile arts)

In the textile arts, a stitch is a single turn or loop of thread or yarn. Stitches are the fundamental elements of sewing, knitting, embroidery, crochet, and needle lace-making, whether by hand or machine...

 used to reinforce the edge of thick materials. Depending on circumstances, it may also be called a whip stitch or a crochet stitch. It is defined as "A decorative stitch used to finish an unhemmed

Hem

To hem a piece of cloth is to sew a cut edge in such a way as to prevent unraveling of the fabric.There are many different styles of hems of varying complexities. The most common hem...

 blanket

Blanket

A blanket is a type of bedding, generally speaking, a large piece of cloth, intended to keep the user warm, especially while sleeping. Blankets are distinguished from sheets by their thickness and purpose; the thickest sheet is still thinner than the lightest blanket. Blankets are generally used...

. The stitch can be seen on both sides of the blanket."

History

This stitch has long been both an application by hand and as a machine sewn stitch. When done by hand, it is sometimes considered a crochet

Crochet

Crochet is a process of creating fabric from yarn, thread, or other material strands using a crochet hook. The word is derived from the French word "crochet", meaning hook. Hooks can be made of materials such as metals, woods or plastic and are commercially manufactured as well as produced by...

 stitch. When done by machine, it is called a whip stitch or, sometimes, a Merrow

Merrow Sewing Machine Company

the Merrow Sewing Machine Company is a manufacturer of sewing machines, established in 1838 as the Merrow Company by J. Makens Merrow. Originally a gunpowder manufacturer, in 1837 the company built a knitting mill, and in 1887 evolved to design, build and market sewing machines exclusively. Best...

 Crochet Stitch, after the first sewing machine

Sewing machine

A sewing machine is a textile machine used to stitch fabric, cards and other material together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies...

 that was used to sew a blanket stitch. This machine was produced and patented by the Merrow Machine Company in 1877. The defining characteristic of the crochet

Crochet

Crochet is a process of creating fabric from yarn, thread, or other material strands using a crochet hook. The word is derived from the French word "crochet", meaning hook. Hooks can be made of materials such as metals, woods or plastic and are commercially manufactured as well as produced by...

 machine is its ability to sew with yarn and stitch thick goods with a consistent overlock

Overlock

An overlock stitch sews over the edge of one or two pieces of cloth for edging, hemming or seaming. Usually an overlock sewing machine will cut the edges of the cloth as they are fed through , though some are made without cutters...

 edge. From 1877-1925 the machine evolved dramatically, and consequently so did the capacity of manufacturers to produce goods with the whip stitch. To this day, Merrow retains a patent

Patent

A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....

 on the mechanism that creates the blanket stitch, renewing it with each redesign, which has occurred hundreds of times since its introduction in 1877. The most recent patent renewal occurred in 2007.

In the early 1990s Chinese manufacturers copied the design of the original crochet sewing machines; Merrow is currently involved in litigation

Lawsuit

A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...

 with several Chinese firms who are accused of violating Merrow's intellectual property

Intellectual property

Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...

 rights.

Style

The blanket stitch is commonly used as a decorative stitch on an array of garments. Besides blankets, it is used on sweaters, outerwear, swimsuit

Swimsuit

A swimsuit, bathing suit, or swimming costume is an item of clothing designed to be worn by men, women or children while they are engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, water polo, diving, surfing, water skiing, or during activities in the sun, such as sun bathing.A...

s, home furnishings, and much more. There are many styles of production blanket stitching, including rolled, narrow, with elastic, and traditional (see photos below).

Additionally, the term "blanket stitch" has become a verb, describing the application of the stitch.

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!Rolled !! Narrow !! Traditional
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! ! ! |}