The running stitch

Your book teaches the simplest stitch of all: the running stitch. Imagine four points marked in a straight line on the cloth, one after another: Point A, Point B, Point C and Point D.

Here are the steps, in this order. 1. Put the thread through the needle, and tie a knot at one end of the thread. 2. Start from the back of the cloth, and bring the needle up at Point A. 3. Push the needle down at Point B. 4. Bring it up at Point C, then down at Point D. 5. Keep going — up, down, up, down — in a straight line. This is called a running stitch.

Your book then uses the running stitch to join two pieces of cloth. Lay one piece flat, put the second piece on top so that it overlaps a little, and sew a running stitch through both. You can add more pieces to make a mat, a table cloth or a coaster.

Needles are sharp, so always stitch carefully, with an adult nearby, and never play with a needle.