unstitched

Unstitched is an English adjective meaning not sewn or not yet sewn. In textiles and garment construction, unstitched fabric is fabric whose edges or seams have not been joined by stitching, leaving it open or unfinished. The term can describe raw edges, unhemmed garments, or pieces of fabric awaiting assembly. In a medical context, unstitched may refer to a wound or incision that has not been sutured.

The word is formed by the negative prefix un- attached to the past participle stitched. It belongs to a productive class of un- constructions in English used to denote negation or absence of a state.

In practice, unstitched edges require finishing to prevent fraying and to provide structure, using methods such as hemming, overcasting, or serging. Pattern instructions often mark sections as "unstitched" to indicate they should be joined later.

Beyond textiles, unstitched can be used metaphorically to describe something that lacks coherence, unity, or closure, such as an unstitched narrative. However, this usage is more literary than technical.

See also: sewing, stitching, seam, hem, unsewn.