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While working on my latest bra I discovered an unused stitch on my sewing machine - and I love it.

It is stitch #9 on my Bernina Aurora - also known as the lightning stitch, sawtooth stitch, lycra stitch, or super stretch stitch. I think of it as a hybrid between a straight stitch and a zigzag stitch, with a little twist thrown in. Here I have sewn it out on paper with the stitch settings at the maximum to show how it is constructed.

It looks like a lopsided zigzag, but while sewing it out giant-size, I could see exactly how it is made: the needle sews twice in the left-hand hole, then zags over to the right. I think this secures every stitch by making a little knot on the left-hand side. (Which is why Marynanna is finding it very frustrating!)

I used it to topstitch the loopy elastic on the top edge of the cup - I didn't feel like three-step zigzag in this position. The super stretch stitch appears almost like a straight stitch on the matte side of the lycra I was using. I really like the effect.


And it IS super-stretchy!



It is also almost impossible to unpick, so I assume it has staying power. I tested this by using it to stitch the cup and strap together - this is usually where stitches start pulling apart in my bras.