A pick stitch is a hand-worked topstitch that shows on the right side only as small, widely spaced dots. It is a tailoring detail, and it is one of the clearest signs that a jacket was made rather than manufactured.
What it does. It holds the edge of a lapel, a jacket front or a pocket in place, and it keeps the seam rolled where you want it. Machine topstitching would do the same job, but it produces a hard continuous line that flattens the edge — the opposite of what a soft tailored edge should look like.
How to work it. Use a single strand of buttonhole twist or strong topstitch thread, and a fine short needle. Working around 5 mm from the finished edge, bring the needle up, take it back down a thread or two behind where it came out, and travel 5 to 8 mm inside the layers before coming up again. The result is a tiny stitch on the surface and a long float hidden inside.
Do not go through all the layers on a lapel — catch the interfacing and the upper layer only, so nothing shows on the underside.
Keep the spacing even and the tension light. Pulling tight puckers the edge, and this stitch is meant to be seen.
Where it is used. Lapel and jacket front edges, pocket flaps, collar edges, and the edges of a lining.
It takes time, and that is rather the point. It is the finish you choose when the garment is worth it.
Questions people actually ask
What thread should I use?
Buttonhole twist or a topstitch thread. Ordinary thread disappears and the dots do not read.
How far apart should the stitches be?
Around 5 to 8 mm, evenly. Regularity matters far more than the exact distance.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11