Bar tack

In sewing, bar tack, also written bar-tack or bartack, refers to a series of stitches used to reinforce areas of a garment that may be subject to stress or additional wear.^[1] Typical areas for bar tack stitches include pocket openings, buttonholes, belt loops, the bottom of a fly opening,^[2] tucks, pleats and the corners of collars.^[3] Bar tacks may be sewn by hand, using whip stitches, or by machine, using zigzag stitches.^[1] The process for sewing a bar tack is essentially to sew several long, narrowly-spaced stitches along the line of the bar that will be formed, followed by short stitches made perpendicular to the long stitches, through the fabric and over the bar.^[4] The bar commonly varies between 1⁄16 to 1⁄8 inch (1.6 to 3.2 mm) in width and 1⁄4 to 3⁄8 inch (6.4 to 9.5 mm) in length. In some garments, such as jeans, the bar tack will be sewn in a contrasting color.

Bar tacks, such as these machine-sewn ones, may be used to reinforce the bottom of a fly opening.

Similar stitches to the bar tack include the arrowhead tack and crow's foot tack.^[5]

See also

• Whip stitch
• Tack (sewing)
• List of sewing stitches