A traditional tailoring technique used to join two raw edges of heavy cloth edge-to-edge without adding bulk or showing stitches on the right side. The tailor passes the needle back and forth through the thickness of the material, catching the fibers inside the cloth but never piercing the visible face. It is commonly used in bespoke tailoring for piecing undercollars or repairing tears in thick woolens.
Heard on the job
You'll need to stoat that seam so the collar lays perfectly flat without a ridge.
Insider tip
Stoating only works on fabrics thick enough to hide a thread inside their cross-section, like melton wool or heavy tweed.
Also heard as
- stoating