Outline stitches · Beginner
Running stitch
Running stitch is a dashed line of small, even stitches with a gap after each one. The needle simply goes up and down through the fabric along the line, which makes it one of the simplest stitches in hand embroidery.
How to work it
Come up at the start of the line
Running stitch is shown here worked from right to left. Bring the needle up at A, at the start of the line, and pull the thread through.
Go down one stitch along
Push the needle down at B, one stitch length along the line. Pull the thread until the stitch lies flat on the fabric.
Leave a gap and come up again
Under the fabric, move a short way along the line and bring the needle up at C. The space between B and C is the gap that gives the line its dashed look.
Make the next stitch the same length
Go down at D, the same distance from C as B is from A. Matching each stitch to the one before it matters more than the exact size.
Repeat along the line
Keep going: up, along, down, then a gap. Aim for stitches that are all one length and gaps that are all one length.
At a glance
- Used for
- dashed outlines; patterns built from rows of running stitch (sashiko, kantha); quilting and gathering; pattern darning to fill a shape; a base for whipped and threaded stitches
- Thread
- With six-strand cotton floss, two or three strands make a light dashed line and all six make a bold one.
- Needle
- An embroidery (crewel) needle. A size 8 suits two strands and a size 9 or 10 suits one. Use a larger needle, which has a lower number, for all six strands.
Tips
- The stitches and the gaps can be any length you like. What matters is that each stays the same along the line.
- On thin and medium fabrics you can weave the needle in and out several times before you pull the thread through. This is quicker.
- On curves, make the stitches shorter so the line bends smoothly.
- Pull the thread only until each stitch lies flat. Running stitch is also the stitch used for gathering, so a tight thread gathers the fabric.
When it goes wrong
- The stitches are different lengths
- Slow down and match each stitch to the last one. Evenweave fabric, where you can count threads, makes even spacing much easier than plain weave.
- The fabric gathers along the line
- The thread is pulled too tight. Ease it off, and keep the fabric taut in a hoop.
- The line looks too faint
- Use more strands, or make the gaps shorter than the stitches.
Left-handed
Mirror the diagrams: start at the left end of the line and work to the right.
Variations
- Whipped running stitch. A second thread is wrapped over each running stitch without going through the fabric, which closes the gaps and gives a twisted line.
- Holbein stitch. Also called double running stitch. A second pass of running stitch fills the gaps left by the first, so the line is solid on both sides of the fabric.
- Threaded running stitch. Also called laced running stitch. A second thread is passed under the stitches from above and from below in turn, for a wavy line.
- Basting stitch. A longer running stitch used to hold pieces of fabric together for a short time. It is taken out afterward.
Patterns that use it
Questions
- What is a running stitch in embroidery?
- It is a line of small straight stitches with a gap after each one, made by passing the needle up and down through the fabric along a line. It looks like a dashed line.
- What is the difference between running stitch and back stitch?
- Running stitch leaves a gap after every stitch, so the line is dashed. Back stitch goes back to the end of the last stitch each time, so the line is solid. Running stitch is quicker and uses less thread.
- How long should running stitches be?
- There is no fixed length. Keeping the stitches and the gaps even matters more than the exact size.
- Is running stitch the same as straight stitch?
- A running stitch is a straight stitch repeated along a line with even gaps. Straight stitch is the name for a single stitch placed on its own, in any direction.