I often get comments (especially from people who see my layouts in real life) about my sewing and how neat it is. And that truly surprises me as I just go for it! But one tip I learnt a few years ago now, has improved the 'look' of my stitching to no end. You may already know this but for those that don't:
I use topstitching thread instead of regular thread.
- My sewing machine is old. It's a hand-me-down Janome with no fancy features at all but it does the job just fine.
- I use regular thread in my bobbin, you don't even notice it.
- You will go through more topstitching thread than normal thread, I usually buy two or three spools at a time.
- You will want to use a regular or large sized needle in your machine so you can actually thread it through the hole.
You can see in the photo below the difference in thickness of the threads. The topstitching thread is quite a bit thicker and that's what gives me the nice, neat stitching with no pulling.
I hope this has helped and let me know if you have any questions!