Double-Needle Stitching

Double-needle stitching uses a sewing machine fitted with two needles set a fixed distance apart, typically 1/4 inch on tee hems and sometimes 3/8 inch on heavier fleece, to lay down two parallel rows of straight lockstitch in a single pass. The two rows pin the folded hem allowance flat against the garment, which does more to stop the fabric from rolling or unraveling than a single row ever could.

Check the inside hem of nearly any Gildan or Hanes tee and you'll find double-needle stitching at the bottom hem and sleeve openings; it's specified so routinely on spec sheets that buyers rarely notice it until it's missing. We've seen bargain overseas blanks skip the second needle to save thread, and the hems curl within a few commercial washes.

When you're comparing blanks for a uniform program headed for industrial laundering, double-needle stitching at the hem and sleeve is a baseline to confirm, not a premium feature worth paying extra for; it should already be standard on any reputable brand's spec sheet.

A common mix-up is treating double-needle stitching and coverstitch as the same thing. They can look similar from the outside, but double-needle is a straight lockstitch through a single fold, while coverstitch runs on a different machine class built to stretch with knit fabric. Ask which one a blank actually uses if hem stretch recovery matters for your order.