The Running Stitch or Line Stitch is the most basic of embroidery stitches and can be used for simple effective decoration on fabric or household items. It can even be used to create a decorative edge on clothing, around the ends of sleeves for example.

Here we are going to instruct you on how to do a running stitch so that you can see how easy these are to create, using only a needle, a colored embroidery yarn of your choice a suitable piece of fabric.

For this very simple embroidery stitch you will only need the thread and material of your choice, usually a heavier material will warrant a thicker thread, where a lighter material will look better with a finer thread.

The needle you use should be suitable for the weight of yarn chosen and should also be a special embroidery needle.

Thread approximately 20 inches of thread onto the needle.

Push the needle up through the material and pull the thread through, leaving about 2 inches of single thread at the back of the work.

Now decide how long you want you stitch to be and push the needle back down through the material.

Turn your work over and try to ensure that the tail of thread left at the back is caught in the back of the first stitch, before bringing the needle back up to the front.

Continue stitching by pushing the needle from back to front then front to back, at equal distances, always ensuring the tail at the back is secured beneath the running stitch.

When the line, or this could be a curve if you choose, is as you want it you will finish with the needle at the back of the work, now thread the needle back and forth through the back of the stitches to secure and snip with your scissors, close to the work.