Green’s Dictionary of Slang

stitch n.¹

a tailor.

1655		Mercurius Fumigosus 34 17–24 Jan. 268: She snatch’d off his Hatt, flung it in a dirty Puddle, and stamp’d upon’t, whereupon patient Stitch, walked away bare-headed.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Stitch a Tayler.
1772		Foote Nabob in Works (1799) II 318: You frightened a preaching Methodist tailor [...] how poor Stitch capered and jumped!
1785		‘Mistress Stitch in Clover’ in Nightly Sports of Venus 29: Stich liv’d like any Lord.
1791		‘Brother Rook’ Willy Wood & Greedy Grizzle 9: So don’t be angry — master Stitch.
1800		‘Holiday Time’ in Jovial Songster 69: Here is a poor little taylor, / Squeaking out for more room, pretty oft / And with his girl sits a sailor / Who bundles poor Stitch up aloft.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1815		T. Whittell ‘Valiant Edward Steel’ Poetical Works 140: Sir Stich, I’m ne’er afraid / Of any man, do what he can, / That’s a prick-louse to his trade; [...] Then he sent the silly tailor home by the weeping cross.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1832		Ely’s Hawk & Buzzard (NY) Sept. 15 n.p.: A certain tailor, whose initials are — — [...] So take care of yourself, Stich [sic] .

In compounds

stitch-back (n.) [? its back-strengthening properties. Note early 17C SE steelback, Alicante wine, which was supposed to help back problems]

very strong ale.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Stitch-back very strong Ale.
1701		N. Ward ‘Battel without Bloodshed’ in Writings (1704) 126: Here’s Stale-Beer, and Mild-Beer, good Stitch-Back and Pharoah.
1720		in D’Urfey Pills to Purge Melancholy VI 224: Here’s stitch-back that will please your Wives.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.

stitch-louse (n.)

a tailor.

1795		A Puff at the Guinea Pigs n.p.: The tailor flourishing his shears, then seized his tail so neatly, / That in a trice he whipt it off [...] The beau stood trembling by his side, while stitch-louse, full of gig, sir, / Cry’d ‘Smoke a beau, who’s lost his tail!’.
1821		Egan Life in London (1869) n.p.: Poll called him Stitch-louse, bid him pick up his needles and be off.
1829		Chester Chron. 9 Oct. 4/3: I would not let a stitchlouse stand ‘fornint’ me to second him.
1830		Owl (NY) 14 Aug. n.p.: The Stitchlouse caught what he terms a malignant fever of sal.
1838		Beckett Paradise Lost 59: Why can’t we with fig-leaves make breeches?... Who’s the best stitch-louse [F&H].
1847		Dublin Eve. Mail 6 Aug. 4/3: ‘You lie, you old stitch-louse’.
1850		Manchester Spy (NH) 7 Sept. n.p.: Toggery fresh from the skill of a fashionable stitch-louse.
1861		N.E. Police Gaz. (Boston, MA) 12 Oct. 6/3: Ben Warren, the stitchlouse, put on awful airs.
1870		Barnsley Chron. 26 Mar. 6/1: ‘I paid Snip Stitchlouse, the tailor, for my last pair of “Sunday-go-to-meeting” trowzes’.