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

sewing Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with 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 ...

and

embroidery Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen ...

, 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, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not ...

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 end ...

. Running stitch, Holbein or double-running stitch,

satin stitch In sewing and embroidery, a satin stitch or damask stitch is a series of flat stitches that are used to completely cover a section of the background fabric. Narrow rows of satin stitch can be executed on a standard sewing machine using a zigzag ...

and darning stitch are all classed as straight or flat stitches.

Backstitch Backstitch or ''back stitch'' and its variants ''stem stitch'', ''outline stitch'' and ''split stitch'' are a class of embroidery and sewing stitches in which individual stitches are made backward to the general direction of sewing. In embroid ...

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 Gathers is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Hank Gathers Eric Wilson "Hank" Gathers Jr. (February 11, 1967 – March 4, 1990) was an American college basketball player for the Loyola Marymount Lions in the West Coast Conf ...

; in hand

patchwork Patchwork or "pieced work" is a form of needlework that involves sewing together pieces of fabric into a larger design. The larger design is usually based on repeating patterns built up with different fabric shapes (which can be different colors) ...

to assemble pieces of light fabrics; and in

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

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 fabric or knitting using needle and thread alone. It is often done by hand, but it is also possible to darn with a sewing machine. Hand darning employs the darning stitch, ...

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 ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

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

Honshū , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island sepa ...

, often worked in white

cotton Cotton 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 cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

thread on rough, dark blue indigo-dyed

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

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

kantha Kantha also spelled kanta, and qanta, is a type of embroidery craft in the Bangladesh and eastern regions of India, particularly in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Odisha. In Odisha, old saris are stacked on each other and hand-sti ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), 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 and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

and

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...

, and

ese

sashiko quilting is a type of traditional Japanese embroidery or stitching used for the decorative and/or functional reinforcement of cloth and clothing. Owing to the relatively cheap nature of white cotton thread and the abundant nature of cheap, indigo-dyed ...

and other embroidery styles such as pattern darning and redwork.

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 Trim or TRIM may refer to: Cutting * Cutting or trimming small pieces off something to remove them ** Book trimming, a stage of the publishing process ** Pruning, trimming as a form of pruning often used on trees Decoration * Trim (sewing), ...

aligned during final sewing, or to otherwise temporarily sew two pieces together. * Darning stitches are closely spaced

parallel Parallel is a geometric term of location which may refer to: Computing * Parallel algorithm * Parallel computing * Parallel metaheuristic * Parallel (software), a UNIX utility for running programs in parallel * Parallel Sysplex, a cluster o ...

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

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