The running stitch is a simple stitch, it can be used in many felt projects. This tutorial starts with the simple running stitch and 2 variations you can do to spice up this easy stitch.

To start the running stitch, make a knot in your thread and bring it up into the felt from below. You can take a couple of stitches at a time with the needle as in the photo below. Be sure to keep the running stitches and the spaces between them as even as possible.

Insert the needle, take a few stitches and pull the thread through.

You should now have a line that looks like this

That is the simple running stitch, we are going to spice it up a bit.

This next variation is called the whipped running stitch. Start at the beginning of the stitch line and with a different color thread, go under each blue stitch as is the photo below. (do not go thru the felt just under the stitch) This will give you a nice 2 color stitch.

Keep going down the line and you get this!

Here it is shown on a pink square sewn onto a yellow background.

First photo shows a simple running stitch, then the same square with a whipped running stitch. The extra color adds a nice touch to a simple stitch.

Another variation you can do with a running stitch is a laced running stitch.

again we  start with a simple running stitch

Bring the contrasting thread up at the end and  we are going to weave the blue thread up under the first stitch and down under the second and continue on down the line, as in the photo below. ( we are not going into the felt, just bringing the needle under the first set of stitches.)

when you are done it should look like this

Hope you enjoy our tutorial and have fun with your projects! share them with us when you are done!