The photos below give a good illustration of stitching in the ditch.
Notice that in both photos, I'm stitching between two garment pieces on the outside and that the needle is running exactly in the space or "ditch" between the two .pieces.
When would be a good time to use this technique?
...when a skirt or pant has no waistband ,you could stitch in the ditch at the side seams to make the facing lie flat and stay put.
...when your garment has a neck facing, you can stitch in the ditch at the shoulder seams so the facing will stay in place.
... when you are attaching the facings to a sleeveless garment, you can stitch in the ditch at the shoulder seams as well as the under arm seams so the facing stays where it should.
... you sometimes can stitch in the ditch at the neckline to attach the collar to the under collar when you have both a collar and a facing.That is what I'm doing in both photos above.
And I'm sure there are many times you will want to stitch in the ditch. But usually, it will involve a facing of some sort.
Now go sew something and have fun.
