Friday, December 18, 2015

Bunched Couching Stitch






This is the Bunched Couching Stitch.  It is the latest stitch I have learned on my 100 Stitches Plus journey.

Isn't this a beautiful stitch?  


Just like a regular Couching Stitch, this one is made up of laid threads that are couched with a stitch.   In this case, a Straight Stitch.  

I decided to use contrasting colors, blue for the laid threads and brown for the couching:


The instructions for this stitch mentioned that this is a good stitch to use for wide lines, giving a bold effect. To get the bold effect, use as many strands as you like for just the right chunkiness. 
For demonstration, I chose three strands of perle cotton thread for the laid threads:



The stitch is worked from right to left.  The first step is to take one of the laid threads and come up at the right edge of the stitching line:


Pull that thread all the way through and let it just rest on the fabric:



do the same with the second and third{or however many you are using}threads:



Once all the laid threads are pulled through, it is time to couch them:


 Bring the couching thread up just below the laid threads:



 Pull all the way through.  Bring your needle across the laid threads and go back into the fabric above the laid threads:  


this will form a small Straight Stitch and couch the laid threads.  Make sure to pull this stitch tight!  It will help bunch the laid threads.  A tip that I discovered is to make the Straight Stitch small, almost bringing the needle out and putting the needle in under the laid threads at the bottom and top - this really helped with bunching the laid threads.


Just continue to couch by making Straight Stitches along the stitching line.  
I measured the distance between each of my couching stitches, to make sure I ended up with even spacing:



After the last Straight Stitch, I secured the couching thread on the underside.  
Then I carefully threaded a needle on the laid threads: 


and pulled them through the fabric.  I secured each one on the underside.



Here is a look at the underside.  Looks like a lot going on!


This is an easy stitch to do:


I am looking forward to using this on a project!


This stitch is from the book Embroidery Stitches by Mary Webb.

7 comments:

Darlene said...

This looks like an easy stitch with big impact.

Kim said...

:) That is what I thought Darlene!

Jeito Mineiro Bordados said...

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
These last days have been a lot of work and bustle here. My visits to your blog were quick and, for the most part, silent.
But I could not help writing to you wishing happy holidays, good health and happiness with his family.
Happy and holy Christmas to you and yours!
A warm hug!
Egléa

Kim said...

Hi Eglea - Thank you for your message! I am wishing you and you family a very Merry Christmas and happy new year :)

Ana Love Craft said...

Hello Kim!
Wishing you a year full of creativity and fun projects!
Hugs and love from Portugal,
Ana Love Craft
www.lovecraft2012.blogspot.com

Kim said...

Hello Ana!
Thank you so much! I am wishing you a happy and creative new year too :)

Anonymous said...

I’m finding it a lot more fiddly, particularly getting the bunching to look good, but you can do something similar to this to get the design appearing on both sides of the fabric. The way I’m trying at the moment is for the thread I use for the couching stitch to have a needle at either end. After travelling along on one side, that thread briefly goes through the fabric to couch the laid threads on the other side. I’m trying to do the couching stitches using the same colour, and it would be even more fiddly to use a contrasting colour. And I’m cutting the laid threads after I’ve finished that part of my work rather than hiding them.