Running stitch — Length, passes and bean stitch
What is the Run tool for?
Section titled “What is the Run tool for?”A simple line of straight stitches following your stroke — for outlines, fine detail, or as a connector between other objects. It’s the leftmost quick-access tile on the tool rail and remembers the last Run preset you used.
What does “Stitch length” do?
Section titled “What does “Stitch length” do?”Sets the distance between needle penetrations along the line. Shorter lengths (around 2 mm) look denser and finer; longer lengths (3–4 mm) sew faster and use less thread but look coarser up close. A shorter stitch length also follows tight curves more faithfully, since the line is approximated by more, smaller straight segments.
What are “passes”, and what is bean stitch?
Section titled “What are “passes”, and what is bean stitch?”Passes control how many times the needle travels the same line: 1× is a plain running stitch; 2× is there and back — the whole line is sewn to its end once and then back through the same holes, so the thread ends where it began (a slightly bolder line without the bean look, and handy when the design carries on from the start point); and 3× or more is what’s usually called bean stitch or triple run — the machine goes forward, back, and forward again over each segment, which builds up a visibly thicker, bolder line than a single pass. StitchPencil offers 1/2/3/5/7 passes; 3 is the traditional “bean” default. A bean stitch is always odd: only the third “forward” takes the needle on to the next segment — with two trips per segment it would never get anywhere. That is why 2× looks different from 3× in the player, and why there is no 4× or 6×.
Do pencil pressure and smoothing affect a Run stitch?
Section titled “Do pencil pressure and smoothing affect a Run stitch?”Both are configured per-Stitch-preset in the Pencil section of the stitch editor, not here directly — smoothing settles out small hand-tremor in your stroke, and (where your hardware supports it) pressure can drive line weight live as you draw. See Stitch presets & the HUD for where those live.
When would I use Run instead of Satin for an outline?
Section titled “When would I use Run instead of Satin for an outline?”Run is the right tool when you want a thin, single-pass-weight line, or when you’re connecting two shapes with an invisible-in-the-final-piece travel path. If you want a heavier, filled band of stitching along a stroke instead, that’s Satin.