It is useful as a decorative finish on an edge or to make outline of design at an edge to prevent it from fraying or hold layers of fabric. Blanket stitch is similar to the buttonhole stitch in finished appearance, but lacks the knot at the top. This stitch can be started from left side with the needle going through the loop of thread at the top of the stitch. Unlike buttonhole stitch, this stitch has no knot at the top and hence the thread can be broken and may unravel. For the best strength, the thread should be waxed as for the buttonhole stitch.
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