In Northern Europe it is traditional to draw an outline of the desired pattern on the ground material and then follow it with a line of running stitches. The running stitches are then covered with the small, overcast stitches. This technique is used to create a bold, raised line.
See also: detached overcast stitch, trailing stitch
Source: THOMAS, Mary (1934). Mary Thomas’s Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches, London: Hodder and Stoughton, pp. 156-157.
Digital source of illustration (retrieved 9 July 2016).
GVE