The straight or running stitch is the basic stitch in hand-

sewing Sewing is the craft of fastening pieces of textiles together using a sewing needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era. Before the invention of spinning yarn or weaving fabric, archaeo ...

and

embroidery Embroidery is the art of decorating Textile, fabric or other materials using a Sewing needle, needle to stitch Yarn, thread or yarn. It is one of the oldest forms of Textile arts, textile art, with origins dating back thousands of years across ...

, on which all other forms of sewing are based. The stitch is worked by passing the needle in and out of the

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is no ...

at a regular distance. All other stitches are created by varying the straight stitch in length, spacing, and direction. Some sources only use the term straight stitch to refer to the individual stitch or its family of related stitches, while others use it interchangeably with or in place of running stitch. Running stitch will never be used to refer to a single stitch since a single running stitch is a straight stitch. Running stitches are most often not visible as they are used to close

seams Seam may refer to: Science and technology * Seam (geology), a stratum of coal or mineral that is economically viable; a bed or a distinct layer of vein of rock in other layers of rock * Seam (metallurgy), a metalworking process the joins the ends ...

. Running stitch, Holbein or double-running 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

Uses

Embroidery

Seams, hems, and tailoring

Running stitches are used in hand-sewing and

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

ing to sew basic seams, hems and gathers; in hand patchwork to assemble pieces of light fabrics; and in

quilting Quilting is the process of joining a minimum of three layers of textile, fabric together either through stitching manually using a Sewing needle, needle and yarn, thread, or mechanically with a sewing machine or specialised longarm quilting ...

to hold the fabric layers and batting or wadding in place. Loosely spaced rows of short running stitches are used to support padded satin stitch.

Darning

Darning Darning is a sewing technique for repairing holes or worn areas in textile, fabric or knitting using sewing needle, needle and sewing thread, thread alone. It is often done by hand, but using a sewing machine is also possible. Hand darning emp ...

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

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese ''Kogin'' embroidery is a pattern darning style from the island of

Honshū , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the seventh-largest island in the world, and the second-most populous after the Indonesian ...

, often worked in white

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

thread on rough, dark blue indigo-dyed

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...

. Running stitches are a component of many traditional embroidery styles, including kantha of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

, and

ese sashiko quilting and other embroidery styles such as pattern darning and redwork. Running stitches are the primary stitch used in Colonial American bed rugs.

Related stitches

*The running stitch family includes looped running stitches, laced running stitches, whipped running stitches, and others like the Holbein stitch, seed stitch and more. * 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. * Darning stitches are closely spaced parallel rows of running stitches used to fill or reinforce worn areas of a textile, or as decoration. * Holbein 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 *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

Image:Arrowhead stitch.gif, Arrowhead stitch Image:Eye stitch.gif, Eye stitch Image:Algerian eye stitch.gif, Algerian eye stitch Image:Fishbone stitch.gif, Fishbone stitch Image:Open fishbone stitch.gif, Open fishbone stitch Image:Raised fishbone stitch.gif, Raised fishbone stitch Image:Flat stitch.gif, Flat stitch

References

External links

The '' Crimson Thread of Kinship '' is a 12-metre-long embroidery predominantly using a straight stitch
at the National Museum of Australia {{DEFAULTSORT:Straight Stitch Embroidery stitches