Embroidery 101: Woven Back and Woven Running Stitches

The Woven Back Stitch and Woven Running Stitch both add texture and dimension to your embroidery project with ease. I used each of them as part of an embroidered portrait that is still in progress.

Step 1: Woven Running Stitch

Begin by stitching two rows of running stitches. Each stitch in the second row needs to be lined up with the stitches in the first row. While my two rows are parallel, they do not need to be.

Running Stitch:

Start by pushing your needle in from the back of your fabric.
Thread your needle back down. Continue to go up and down through your fabric and end with your last stitch going down to the back of the fabric.

Step 2: Woven Running Stitch Continued

I'm using a different color for illustrative purposes. If you use the same color, the running stitch will blend into the weaving.

Enter at the end of one of your rows of running stitches from the back. We'll call this row A and the other row B.

Thread your needle under the first stitch on row B from the inside of the two rows.

Thread your needle under the first stitch on row A from the inside.

Repeat until you've woven as many stitches as you can on the first stitches of rows A and B.

Step 3: Woven Running Stitch Continued

Once you've filled up the first stitches, thread your needle under the the second stitch on the opposite row and continue until the second stitches are full.

Continue in this fashion until you get to the end of your rows.

Step 4: Woven Back Stitch

Create two rows of back stitching.

If you need help with the back stitch, I've got an instructable for that. Embroidery 101: Backstitch

Step 5: Woven Back Stitch Continued

Weave your needle back and forth from one row to the other the same way as with the woven running stitch. Always go under the back stitch from the inside.

Again, if you don't want the back stitch to show, use the same color for the back stitching as the weaving.