Luxury lies beyond the utilitarian in details that take garments from worthy to extraordinary. Elegant touches take more time, but are always worth it. Take understitching a neckline, for example. Your stitches serve a purpose: to keep the edge sharp and the lining or facing from view.  The stitching is usually done by machine, and looks very nice. Embroidered by hand, however, with a lovely stitch in silk or rayon thread, understitching becomes a luxurious hidden detail. 

Author Susan Crane shares some techniques for hand-embroidered understitching, and a sampling of favorite stitches. It doesn’t matter that the special detail is on the garment’s interior. What’s significant is that the wearer feels special every time she puts on the garment, knowing that it was  nished with a superlative-and secret-detail. Read her complete tutorial in this article from Threads #157.