The simplest stitch in sewing -- the running stitch -- is also the most versatile. Usually a child's first lesson in needle and thread, this practical technique can lend a stylish touch to almost any textile in your home. All it takes is a little imagination

By sight, if not by name, the running stitch is easily the most recognizable of sewing techniques. Whether the dashlike appearance of its simple over-and-under pattern takes the form of a neatly worked quilt or shows up unevenly on a child's first attempt at a sewing project, this basic stitch unfailingly says "handmade."

Although the running stitch is, in the strictest terms, a fundamental and practical sewing stitch, it also can be used to embroider embellishments on almost any material, including patterned pieces. By combining threads and fabrics in a variety of colors and textures, experimenting with the scale of the stitches, and playing with their spacing, you can create an array of effects. Work the stitches in precise rows for a graphic simplicity that complements a minimalist aesthetic, or make them hastily in a freestyle manner to bring a stylish yet homespun effect to even the most basic attire and accessories. Your only prerequisites are an object in need of enhancing, a small length of yarn, floss, or thread, and a little creativity.

Both avid sewers and novices will find the techniques on these pages easy to master and the results gratifying. So go ahead and pick up a needle and thread-and let this simple stitch run away with you.

Lampshade Instructions

1. Determine the measurements: Most lampshades, including drum-shape shades, are greater in circumference at the bottom than at the top; this means the vertical rows of stitching on the shade must fan out slightly toward the bottom to create a proportional grid. To find the right intervals for your pattern, complete the following equation before you start to sew. Measure the top circumference and the bottom circumference in inches. Divide the bottom circumference by the top circumference. (Most answers will have decimal points; you will need to round up or down. For example, 1.13 becomes 1 1/8 inch.)

2. With a disappearing-ink pen, mark a tiny dot anywhere on the shade's top rim. Using a T square or a clear quilting ruler, mark a corresponding dot directly beneath the top dot on the bottom of the shade.

3. On the shade's top rim, measure 1 inch to the left of the guide dot, and mark the spot with the disappearing-ink pen. Repeat on the opposite side of the guide dot. Measure and mark 1-inch intervals from this last mark, working completely around the shade's top rim. Repeat on the bottom of the shade using the number you arrived at in the equation above to measure the intervals. (The intervals will be slightly larger than 1 inch.) Mark a line with your disappearing-ink pen connecting the top points to the bottom ones. Mark off 1-inch intervals along that line. Make running stitches along each interval.

4. Measure 1 inch down from the shade's top edge, marking horizontal lines at about 1-inch intervals with the pen. As you move down the lamp, these marks will get wider slightly, but as long as you stay inside the vertical lines, the spacing will look the same to the naked eye. Stitch around the shade over horizontal marks. Depending on your lampshade's lining, you may have to use a sewing awl to punch holes before you stitch. (If the lining is plastic, you will need an awl.)