Staystitching is a straight stitch sewn through one layer of fabric. It’s most often used around a curve to prevent distortion. To staystitch a curve, set your stitch length to 1.5. Having the stitches closer together creates a stronger hold. The standard is 1/8″ away from the sewing line, so if your seam allowance is 5/8″ then stitch 1/2″ away from the edge. It’s important to staystitch soon after cutting out your fabric. Simply moving your fabric around a few times, depending upon the fabric, can stretch out curves. This is because the curve cuts across the bias, the stretchiest part of fabric. To really see this in action, cut a curve out of some scrap fabric and then pull on it. You’ll see how that curve completely changes. That’s much more extreme than what would happen to your garment, but you get the idea!