When working on embroidery projects, there are many different kinds of stitches you can try. You can look for new techniques and tips on Pinterest, and find tutorials on YouTube.
They are the most popular! However, some of the most used stitches are not the most complex and fancy, but the most basic ones. Let’s go ahead and find out how to do running stitch, a very simple yet versatile option for your designs.
How to do running stitch
If you are following our posts, you may have seen that we have just posted a blog entry about the basting stitch.
The truth is, these two stitches are pretty much the same! We usually call it basting stitch when talking about sewing, which has a functional purpose, and running stitch when talking about embroidery.
Besides, considering that the basting stitch is used for keeping fabric pieces in place, but only temporarily, we don’t usually focus on doing it super neatly.
But when working on embroidery projects, we want to do it as perfectly as possible! Let’s go see how we can achieve the neatest running stitch.
1- Don’t pull the needle out
One of the first tips you can use to make the perfect running stitch embroidery is not to do each stitch one by one.
Instead of pulling the needle out completely after performing each stitch, pierce the length of the needle up and down through the fabric, creating several stitches at once.
This will allow you to preview the placement of stitches before really performing them.
If you don’t like how they turned out, simply pull the needle back before moving forward and make them again. It’s easier than pulling out the stitches themselves, and it also prevents the fabric from breaking.
It might be a little bit harder to perform, but the results are neat, especially when you are just starting out in embroidery.
2- Use stencils
If you’re starting your embroidery journey, you can use sashiko stencils to mark the design you want to make on fabric before you start.
These stencils are special because they don’t only portray the general design, but they contain each and every stitch running along the surface. Sashiko designs are original from Japan, and they are supposed to be super clean.
They are geometric and symmetric, so every repeated element in the pattern should contain the same number of stitches.
To achieve this, every running stitch should be the same length, and the gap between them should be proportionate.
Using these stencils will allow you to get used to the technique needed, and soon you won’t need them anymore.
3- Practice!
Just like every other craft, embroidery running stitch requires a lot of practice to master.
Be patient and keep moving forward. We recommend starting with sample projects, where you don’t have the pressure of doing perfect, and you can go back and forth as many times as you need.
With these three tips about how to do running stitch, you will be able to master this technique in a short time. And remember to keep it up and keep on trying until you get the best results!