The straight or running stitch is the basic stitch in hand-sewing and embroidery, on which all other forms of sewing are based. The stitch is worked by passing the Sewing needle in and out of the textile at a regular distance.
Running stitches are most often not visible as they are used to close seams.[Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (July 25th 2008). , p. 46]
Running stitch, Holbein stitch, satin stitch and darning stitch are all classed as straight or flat stitches. Backstitch is also sometimes included in this category.[Enthoven, Jacqueline: The Creative Stitches of Embroidery, Van Norstrand Rheinhold, 1964, , p. 29-46]
Terminology
Some sources only use the term
straight stitch to refer to a single stitch and use
running stitch for a line of single stitches,
while others use it interchangeably with or in place of
running stitch.
Uses
Embroidery
Seams, hems, and tailoring
Running stitches are used in hand-sewing and
to sew basic seams, hems and gathers; in hand
patchwork to assemble pieces of light fabrics; and in
quilting to hold the fabric layers and batting or wadding in place.
[ Complete Guide to Needlework, p. 200, 220] Loosely spaced rows of short running stitches are used to support
satin stitch.
Darning
Darning has two purposes, decorative and functional, though it is often both.
Darning for decorative purposes, often referred to as
Pattern darning, is an ancient technique in which parallel rows of straight stitches in varying lengths are arranged to form geometric patterns.
[Christie, Grace: Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving, London, John Hogg, 1912] Kogin embroidery is a pattern darning style from the island of Honshū, often worked in white
cotton thread on rough, dark blue
indigo dye linen.
Running stitches are a component of many traditional embroidery styles, including kantha of India and Bangladesh, and sashiko quilting and other embroidery styles such as pattern darning and redwork.[Gillow, John, and Bryan Sentance: World Textiles, Bulfinch Press/Little, Brown, 1999, , p. 172-173] Running stitches are the primary stitch used in Colonial American bed rugs.
Related stitches
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The running stitch family includes looped running stitches, laced running stitches, whipped running stitches, and others like the Holbein stitch, seed stitch and more.
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Basting stitches, also called "tailor's tack", are long-running stitches used to keep two pieces of fabric or trim aligned during final sewing, or to otherwise temporarily sew two pieces together.
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Darning are closely spaced parallel rows of running stitches used to fill or reinforce worn areas of a textile, or as decoration.
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Holbein stitch or double-running stitches have a second row of running stitches worked in a reverse direction in between the stitches of the first pass, to make a solid line of stitching.
-
Double darning stitches are closely spaced (but not overlapping) rows of Holbein stitches.
[ Complete Guide to Needlework, p. 46-47]
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The saddle stitch, commonly used in leathercrafting and shoemaking, consists of two running stitches done at the same time using a single thread with a needle at either end.
===Stitch gallery===
See also
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Blackwork embroidery
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Darning
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Embroidery stitches
Further reading
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Caulfield, S.F.A., and B.C. Saward, The Dictionary of Needlework, 1885.
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Christie, Grace (Mrs. Archibald Christie: Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving, London, John Hogg, 1912
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Eaton, Jan. Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches, Revised by Jan Eaton. London: Hodder&Stoughton, 1989.
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Enthoven, Jacqueline: The Creative Stitches of Embroidery, Van Norstrand Rheinhold, 1964,
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Reader's Digest, Complete Guide to Needlework. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (March 1992).
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Levey, S. M. and D. King, The Victoria and Albert Museum's Textile Collection Vol. 3: Embroidery in Britain from 1200 to 1750, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1993,
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Sarah's Hand Embroidery Tutorials.
External links
