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Running stitch — Length, passes and bean stitch

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.

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: is a plain running stitch, 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.

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.