What is Coverstitch?

A coverstitch is a stretchy stitch, sewn with two or three needles, that leaves parallel straight rows on the face and a covering stitch of looper thread on the back; it does not loop over the fabric edge. The same word names the machine that sews it, and Turkish factories call both reçme. On knit garments it finishes hems, sleeve openings and trouser legs and attaches bands and elastic. MEGEP, the Turkish Ministry of National Education’s vocational training module, notes that it can run through the inner areas of a fabric as well as along the edge.

Coverstitch meaning: what reçme is called in English

The MEGEP module uses reçme for both the stitch (reçme dikişi) and the machine (reçme makinesi). The English term is coverstitch: Juki and Pegasus group their machines under that name, while Coats calls the same stitches coverseam.

What does a coverstitch look like? Stitch structure and numbers

Two or three needle threads pass through the fabric and are tied underneath by a single looper thread. The face shows one straight row per needle and the back a covering stitch; adding a top cover thread (karyoka or serici in Turkish) covers the face too (MEGEP, pp. 5 and 7). In the classification used by Coats, American & Efird and AMANN, 406 and 407 derive from the 401 chain stitch (400 class), while 602, 605 and 607 add a top cover thread (600 class). The four-needle 607 is the flatlock stitch.

Sources: Coats; American & Efird; MEGEP, pp. 15–16.

What is a coverstitch machine used for?

A coverstitch machine sews the stitch that finishes hems, sleeve openings, bands and elastic on knitwear. MEGEP describes four groups by job:

• Hem coverstitch (etek reçme): hems, sleeve openings and trouser legs on stretch fabric; an optional left knife trims the excess.
• Binding coverstitch (bant reçme): binding, tape or strip through a binder.
• Belt-loop machine (köprü makinesi): belt loops for trousers and skirts, with a loop-folding attachment.
• Elastic coverstitch with knife (bıçaklı lastik reçme): elastic and lace, with a right knife trimming the fabric underneath (MEGEP, pp. 5–6 and 19).

Juki’s 2026 catalog splits its machines into flat-bed and cylinder-bed types, the cylinder bed being for tube-shaped parts such as sleeve openings and cuffs (pp. 38–42). For machines and service, see industrial sewing machine suppliers, textile machinery repair and used textile machinery dealers.

Where a coverstitch is used, and what to write in a spec

Hemming, finishing sleeve openings and trouser legs, and attaching bands and elastic on stretch knits are its main jobs (MEGEP). The Ministry of National Education’s (MEB) T-shirt module lists overlock, rib and coverstitch for hems and sleeve openings, calls the coverstitch “the most preferred and used technique,” and asks for allowances reduced to the fabric’s stretch ratio (T-shirt Sewing, pp. 31 and 34).

Writing only “coverstitch” in a quote is not enough. MEB’s example T-shirt tech pack names the machine and thread count (“4-thread overlock”; p. 4); for coverstitch jobs, have the stitch number, needle count and any top cover thread written down, since they set the look, thread consumption and machine choice. In MEGEP’s example, a 2-needle hem runs on 3 threads including the looper, or 4 with a top cover thread (pp. 15–16).

Coverstitch vs overlock (serger): what is the difference?

Baker (2020), a home-sewing publication, writes “serger (overlock)” for the overlock machine.

Sources: MEGEP; American & Efird; Baker (2020); Juki.

In practice, if a hem is finished with a coverstitch, no overlock is run on that edge as well; the back of a coverstitch leaves an overlock-like look between two chain stitches (MEGEP, p. 6).

Coverstitch, flatlock and interlock: are they the same?

• Flatlock: not a synonym but a separate four-needle stitch in the 600 class. Flatlock or flatseamer machines sew 607, with four needles, a top cover thread and a bottom looper, for lap or flat butt seams (Nemeša, 2023); Coats says 607 has largely replaced the older 606. MEGEP’s coverstitch machines have two or three needles. If “flatlock” appears in a quote, ask for the stitch number.
• Interlock: primarily the name of a knit fabric. Some machine makers use it too: Pegasus calls the models in its “Coverstitch (Plain seaming)” group “interlock stitch machines,” and Nemeša (2023) applies the name to a four-needle machine sewing 607. When a quote says “interlock,” settle fabric or machine first, then get the stitch number for a machine.

Frequently asked questions

What is a coverstitch?

A stretchy stitch of two or three needle rows tied on the back by a looper thread, and the machine that sews it; in Turkish, reçme.

Can a serger do a coverstitch?

Some can. Baker (2020) notes that home sewers either use a separate coverstitch machine or convert some top-of-the-line serger (overlock) models; the industrial machines MEGEP describes are dedicated coverstitch machines.

Is flatlock a coverstitch?

Not a synonym. Flatlock is the four-needle 607 stitch of the 600 class, used for flat lap seaming, while MEGEP’s coverstitch machines have two or three needles. If a quote says “flatlock,” ask for the stitch number.