Editing Wetsuit (section)

====Blindstitching====
Sometime after nylon-backed neoprene appeared, the [[Overlock|blind stitch]] method was developed. A blindstitch sewing machine uses a curved needle, which does not go all the way through the neoprene but just shallowly dips in behind the fabric backing, crosses the glue line, and emerges from the surface on the same side of the neoprene.<ref>{{cite web |title=How Wetsuits Work |url=https://www.lomo.co.uk/how-wetsuits-work-2/ |website=Lomo Watersport |date=March 7, 2022 |publisher=Lomo Industries Ltd}}</ref> This is similar to the [[overlock]] stitching used for teeshirts and other garments made from knitted fabrics.

The curved needle allows the fabric backing to be sewn together without punching a hole completely through the neoprene, and thereby eliminating the water-leakage holes along the seam. Blindstitch seams also lay flat, butting up the edge of one sheet against another, allowing the material to lay flatter and closer to the skin. For these reasons blindstitching rapidly became the primary method of sewing wetsuits together, with other stitching methods now used mainly for [[decorative]] or [[Fashion|stylistic]] purposes.