Bar tack

Bar tack is a series of hand or machine made stitches used for reinforcing areas of stress on a garment, such as pocket openings, bottom of a fly opening or buttonholes. It consists of a series of close-set zig-zag stitches (machine) or whip stitches (hand), usually 1/16"-1/8" in width and 1/4"-3/8" in length. In denim jeans, it is often in a contrasting color, such as orange or white.

v t e Sewing Techniques Basting Cut Darning Dart Embellishment Fabric tube turning Facing Floating canvas Gather Godet Gore Gusset Hem Heirloom sewing Lining Pleat Ruffle Shirring Style line Stitches Backstitch Bar tack Blanket Blind stitch Buttonhole Catch stitch Chain stitch Cross-stitch Embroidery stitch Hemstitch List of sewing stitches Lockstitch Overlock Pad stitch Pick stitch Running Sashiko Tack Topstitch Zigzag Seams Armscye Felled seam Seam allowance Notions Trims Bias tape Collar stays Elastomer (Elastic) Grommet / Eyelet Interfacing Passementerie Piping Rickrack Self-fabric Soutache Trim Twill tape Wrights Closures Buckle Button Buttonhole Fly Frog Hook-and-eye Placket Shank Snap Velcro Zipper Materials Bias Yarn / Thread Selvage Textiles / Fabrics Tools Bobbin Dress form Needle threader Pin Pincushion Pinking shears Scissors Seam ripper Sewing needle Stitching awl Tailor's ham Tape measure Thimble Tracing paper Tracing wheel Trades Suppliers Cloth merchant Draper Dressmaker Haberdasher Mercer / Mercery Sewing occupations Tailor Sewing machine manufacturers Barthélemy Thimonnier Bernina Brother Industries Elias Howe Frister & Rossmann Janome Jones Sewing Machine Company Juki Merrow New Home Pfaff Sewmor Singer Tapemaster Viking / Husqvarna White Patterns Butterick Clothkits McCall's Simplicity Glossary of sewing terms