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.

Home Sweet Home

There is a new hand embroidery pattern set in my shop.
The title is Home Sweet Home.  

I have been busy stitching up so many of the motifs from this set and planning out stitching projects.    
One of the projects I am just starting is a home surrounded by flower borders with the text "Welcome".  

What do you think of the color palette I plan to use? Normally, these are not colors I would choose to put together! However, I was looking through an old art book and found a beautiful watercolor.  It is a village scene on a rainy day with houses and shops and pedestrians and horse drawn carriages.  I loved the overall color and mood of the painting.  The individual colors that made up that mood were an interesting palette - I started matching them with embroidery floss and this is what I came up with:

The black, brown and red were just small touches and I plan to use them sparingly.
This palette turned out to be 15 colors, so I will have lots of options! 
I added the floss samples and color numbers on my project page in my embroidery journal, but I am missing the floss numbers for two of the greens so I have some research to do:  

Here is my progress, I think I am really going to like this color palette:

Dala Horse Embroidery

I just finished up this Dala Horse embroidery.  These motifs are from the Scandinavian Christmas embroidery pattern set.  
Isn't he colorful?  I really like the palette on this project.  {I noted all the floss colors at the bottom of this post!}
His scalloped saddle is outlined in Blanket Stitch - I was pleasantly surprised at how easily the Blanket Stitch worked around all these curves:

I outlined the horse in Back Stitch.  I used Stem Stitch for his bridle, reins the inside of the saddle and the saddle straps.   The accents are done in French Knots and Lazy Daisies:

For the berry vine I used Stem Stitch for the vine, Straight Stitch for the leaves and Satin Stitch for the berries. Again I used French Knots to embellish:

Here are the colors and floss numbers I used for this project.  {In case it is too bright to read :) the yellow is dmc 307}

Santa Claus and Reindeer Finish

I have a finished stitching project to share.  You may remember this from a previous post {here} or, if  you follow me on Instagram you have already seen the completed picture!  

Here are a few details.  

This sweet little reindeer has been outlined with Stem Stitch and filled with Straight Stitch.  His holly leaf and berry collar is done with Satin Stitch.  I blended brown and a light tan colored floss for his fur:

and I used just the darker color for the outside of his legs and just lighter color for the insides of his legs:

Santa is done in rows of Split Stitch and French knots for all the embellishments on his suit.