Hand stitches have many uses. Before the sewing machine, garment-making was done exclusively by hand. However, in today’s home sewing world of sophisticated sewing machines and sergers, few garments are made entirely by hand.But, many home-sewn and custom-made garments continue to have some type of hand stitching used primarily as finishing techniques (hemming, securing fasteners, etc.). Thus, knowing and understanding the proper stitch to use is important to the item’s appearance.