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.
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:
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}
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.
