Saddle stitch is a hand-sewing stitch commonly used in bookbinding, saddle and bridle making, leathercraft, and shoemaking.
Saddle stitch uses two threads in alternating running stitches through a single line of holes. The holes may be created by the sewing needles themselves in lighter materials, or by an awl,[1] pricking iron,[2] or stitching iron[3] in thicker materials, such as leather.
Compared to the more common lockstitch often sewn by machine, breaking one side of a saddle stitch loosens only one side of the stitch, rather than several surrounding stitches on both sides.[4]