Double Running Stitch...

Both these embroideries are done with mainly one simple stitch....the double running stitch. This stitch, when done in polychrome as is shown top, results in the charming scene of a gentleman and his lady on the Elizabeth Short [1661] sampler from the V&A Museum in London. When done in black silk on white linen, as shown here on a design for a coif, it gives an entirely different feel to the embroidery. The stitch itself is deceptively simple...work the first half of the design in one trip of the needle, skipping every other stitch, and fill in the missing stitches on your return. Complex designs, however, require some planning of the route your stirches take in order not to miss parts of the design.

I love this stitch, whether done in colors or black and white...on a sampler as a band, or as a filling stitch, as in the first example...it is fun to work, although it requires concentration not to make mistakes....