Take a stitch Tuesday Challenge week 12
Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at 6:53AM | Sharon B | 37 Comments | in Challenges, Hand Embroidery, Needlework, Take a Stitch Tuesday 
Sorry Take a stitch Tuesday is going up on Wednesday. We had a public holiday on Monday and I forgot what day it was! I must not be quite back to my normal self. I feel a twit but here it is a day late...
I often get asked what do I do with lumpy or highly textured and thick yarns. My answer is always couch them on.
This week the challenge stitch is couching.
So this week you get to play with all those lumpy hairy threads. I think people will enjoy it. It is simple to work and adds texture to any piece.
As you can see in the sample above you can easily work threads in a spiral.
Many people do not realise that you can use other embroidery stitches to hold down the thread. In this case I used a twisted chain.
This is ribbon which is couched down with beads and embroidery
This thread is held down by buttonhole
Here the same thread held in place with barred chain.
Here herringbone holds two stands of thicker thread down.
The possibilities are endless so don’t feel you can’t use those thicker or lumpy threads! Click through to the directions on how to do couching in my stitch dictionary. When you have stitched a sample swing by and leave a comment so people can check out your site. Don’t forget to leave your URL. To avoid spam you must be registered to leave a comment and all comments are moderated. This means when I have read them I approve them and they are published.
Don’t forget that Debra Spincic generously runs a web ring for the TAST challenge which is found here and for those who have a Flickr account there is the Take a stitch Tuesday flickr group
That’s the Take a Stitch Tuesday Challenge stitch this week … Enjoy!
Reader Comments (37)
After a few visits to the blog I thought that may have been what had happened.
Hey no problem, it's still Tuesday afternoon here in Washington State. Usually I have TAST on Monday.
Doni
ROTFLOL
... when I checked in and found blog entries but no TAST one, I wondered if that was the case.
(I was thinking of leaving a silly comment on one of yeasterday's entries, but I thought the better of it - maybe I SHOULD have left one? -;)
Andrea
... wondering if I will get a long enough morning tea, or lunch break, to sneak in a bit of stitching.
I've posted an example done on paper. Looking back I also couched in these samples: chain, cross and fly stitches.
http://vivian-institches.blogspot.com/
I was a bit worried for you yesterday when I did not see a new TAST, and I'm relieved it is just a day mistake. I do it all the time, I know I have an appointment on a given day, just do not realize this day is already here :-)
Couching will be fun
Glad you are okay and there is nothing wrong, but I was starting to get withdrawal symptoms with nothing to do last night!!!!!!!!!
I am glad everything goes well with you. I also had a free Monday, I can understand:)
My challenge for this week is here:
http://corinaj.wordpress.com
couching has not inspired any creative ideas in my head but I have used it with fly stitch to create a pretty seam.
I spent sometime couching threads to create a woven effect last night. I've posted a pic on my blog together with some notes on some of the ways couching is used in Japanese Embroidery.
CA
http://threadsacrosstheweb.blogspot.com/2007/03/venerable-friends-scroll-2.html
Hello Sharon! Here is alink to my couching:
http://gunnelsvensson.blogspot.com/2007/03/couchinglggsm.html
I really like this stitch
My Couching sample is on the blog.
doreeng.blogspot.com/
Sorry to be late with last weeks homework, but here it is, along with this week!
http://magpiesmumblings.blogspot.com
I have a bit of a couched wisteria vine on my Flickr page.
Gayle
www.flickr.com/photos/stitchintime
Couching for this week can be found at http://susaneta.wordpress.com/2007/03/23/tast-couching/
also check out the mixed media canvas post which has a bit of couching on it.
Couching sample is on my flickr site. It's a good thing I don't look at others before I put mine up....or I'd probably never do it...*L*
Such wonderful work from everyone.
Hi, I have been ill but had a first try of couching using the up and down buttonhole stitches,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/helinacq/
Helina
I've just posted a picture of some couching I did a while ago as I haven't had much time recently to do any embroidery - I will do some fresh samples soon.
Yhe picture is on my blog - http://stitchnpatch.blogspot.com/
My couching samples are here:
http://www.fabthreads.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fabthreads/
Have a nice weekend!
Annica, Fabulous Threads
Just to say couching on blog http://alteringthoughts.blogspot.com/ and Flickr. Thanks Sharon, so enjoying this.
I have added my couching to the flickr pool, this is so much fun
I used couching on a few silk atcs this week.
http://www.artbybethrobinson.com/journal/2007/3/24/couching-a-few-silk-atcs.html
Is it still couching if the yarn, ribbon, etc. is threaded under or woven through after the stitching?
My couching sample is at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57851085@N00/
I have added samples for couching and for up and down buttonholr stitches. I also posted some photos that might interest everyone of the finished project from the barred chain stitch.
www.crazyquiltsusan.vox.com
I posted a number of tiny couching ideas this week. They are at
http://quietermoments.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow">quietermoments.wordpress.com
Hi Sharon,
I just blogged my couching examples. I'm working on a seascape piece!
kittyandmedesigns.blogspot.com/
Thank you for the TAST project! I'm very much enjoying it!
Hi Sharon
I hadn't realised how addicted I had become to TAST until the delay with posting the stitch this week! So glad that you are OK and it was just a time thing. We spent the whole of yesterday an hour ahead; forgetting that the clocks had changed here!!
My couching is on a fabric postcard at my flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/luci_f/
Luci
Hi everyone, my couching sample is on the blog and the Flickr group.
http://smockery.blogspot.com/2007/03/tast-couching.html
Sharon, thank you for a bunch of really useful links lately. Glad I'm not the only one who doesn't know what day it is!
I did a couple of couching samples. One is using the Bayeux stitch that I found on another blog.
http://lifeneedleworkandeverything.blogspot.com/2007/03/tast-12-couching-kicking-it-up-notch.html
Margaret
I'm sorry I've missed a few weeks, but here's my couching sample:
http://sharons-artjournal.blogspot.com/2007/03/borduren-couching.html
Thanks!
Hi I've just put up my samples of 'Up and down buttonhole' and an experimental piece of couching on my blog.
www.artoftextiles.blogspot.com
Here's my couching sample http://faffingabout.blogspot.com/index.html
And finally, here's my couching - or some of it. As always, I intend to do more. But you know what they say about intentions...
http://katestast.blogspot.com/2007/03/week-12-couching.html
Couching is one of my favorites and I've added mine on my blog along with the Knotted Cretan. Look for them here: http://normasneedlez.blogspot.com
my couching sample. yellow alert!
http://fionacupcake.blogspot.com/2007/04/couching-sample.html
my couching is made with knitting yarn, see on my blog http://aboutivana.blogspot.com/2007/04/tast-week-12-couching.html#links
Very late but done :)
http://thepingallery.wordpress.com/2007/05/01/tast-week-12-couching/