Craft Notes: The Saddle Stitch as a Signature Detail
- francoisvinas73
- Oct 2
- 4 min read
A throw is recognized by its softness, its warmth, the nobility of its fiber. But what truly defines a Viñas Genève throw lies at its very edges: a line of thread, stitched in rhythm, deliberately visible. The saddle stitch.
This traditional blanket stitch has become our signature detail. Not by chance. But because it quietly expresses what we believe in: care, honesty, and continuity. Each Viñas Genève signature throw carries it as a sign of attention.
A sewn memory
The saddle stitch blanket was once used in modest homes to strengthen heavy wool blankets. Every winter, grandmothers would teach it to their granddaughters. The gesture was simple yet demanding: a visible seam, steady and regular, leaving no room for shortcuts.
In our Italian workshops, it is still passed on like a textile alphabet. Apprentices repeat it until their hand finds the right rhythm.
“It’s not just a seam, it’s a breath,” said a master.
“If you breathe wrong, the fabric shows it. If you breathe well, the cloth sings.”
A frame that reveals
The saddle stitch acts like a border, yet one that connects. It frames a throw the way a binding holds a book, or a frame reveals a painting.
In an interior, this detail changes perception. The fabric first catches the eye, but it is often the edge that holds attention. The stitch becomes a kind of punctuation, giving rhythm and structure: a saddle stitch detail that quietly anchors the whole.
Swiss precision, Italian hands
The saddle stitch is also the meeting of two cultures. In Switzerland, we design its geometry, proportions, and exactness. In Italy, artisans give the gesture its suppleness, its tactile elegance.
From this dialogue emerges a seam that is neither purely Swiss nor purely Italian. It is the connecting line. Our way of signing without writing.
“For me, the saddle stitch is the perfect example of what I love in textiles: a detail that may seem secondary, yet changes everything. In this visible seam, there is a hand, a time, an honesty. It is a discreet punctuation, and that is where our signature begins.”
-François Viñas, Founder of Viñas Genève
The detail that lingers
Close your eyes after touching a throw, and what you remember is not always the surface. It is often the border, stitched in relief, felt beneath the fingers.
“What I remember from my Viñas Genève throw,” a client once told us,“is not only the softness. It’s that stitched edge, that steady rhythm. Like a little music.”
In a world of interchangeable objects, the saddle stitch detail is what remains in memory.
Time in every stitch
What makes this seam remarkable is the time it takes. The needle crosses, the thread slides, tension is adjusted. Each stitch is a pulse.
Watching an artisan sew the saddle stitch is like watching active meditation. The gesture repeats, but never mechanically. Each passage is attentive, each movement considered.
This visible seam carries the time that was given to it.
A visible, assumed detail
Most seams hide. The saddle stitch chooses to be seen. Not as decoration for decoration’s sake, but as an affirmation.
It tells of sincerity. A throw that doesn’t hide its making. A seam that admits its presence and makes it beautiful.
The saddle stitch as a textile signature
In a world saturated with logos, the saddle stitch is our silent mark. No need for initials or oversized branding. The trained eye will recognize the rhythm.
It is our way of saying: identity can be discreet. Woven into a seam, carried in silence. This is why every Viñas Genève signature throw bears it as a defining element.
DIY & care: understanding the stitch
Even without being a couturier, you can try the saddle stitch on a piece of felt. Attempting it helps you understand why it demands such focus.
But beyond trying, the secret is in observing. Follow the seam with your fingers, fold it carefully, preserve it.
Avoid washing at high temperatures: the thread must stay tight.
Fold without pulling the seam.
If damaged, ask for an artisan repair: the stitch deserves to remain visible.
It is more than decoration. It is companionship over time.
A seam that lives with you
The saddle stitch does not just finish the throw. It accompanies it. It softens slightly over the years but holds strong. It ages with the fabric, follows its folds, its washings, its handovers.
It is the red thread that links making, living, and passing on.
Workshop anecdote
One artisan recalled delivering throws to a Geneva hotel. In a suite, he saw a guest folding one. She ran her finger along the stitched edge, almost absentmindedly, smiling.
She did not know the technique, but she felt it.
“In that moment,” he said,“I understood we do not just sew thread. We sew moments that stay in the hand.”
A Detail That Becomes a Signature
The saddle stitch is not only a technical detail. It is a note of craftsmanship, a gesture of care, a line of continuity. A seam that connects Swiss rigor and Italian sensitivity, past and present, use and memory.
In every Viñas Genève luxury throw with saddle stitch, it reminds us that luxury often lies where we least expect it: at the edge, in a visible seam that speaks of care, honesty, and time.
👉 Discover our creations, where the saddle stitch becomes more than a finish: a textile signature designed to endure and be passed on.
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