Stitch guide · Outlines
How to do a couching stitch
Couching is a way to lay a thick thread (or a bundle of strands) on top of the fabric and hold it down with small stitches in a second thread. It makes smooth, bold lines and curves without stitching the thick thread in and out of the fabric. Use it for outlines, cords, lettering and metallic threads.
- Level Easy
- Also called Couched thread
Use it in a pet portrait for…
- A bold leash or collar in thick cord or yarn.
- A smooth, chunky outline around the whole portrait.
- A shiny name-tag line in metallic thread, which can fray when it's pulled through the fabric again and again.
How to do it, step by step
Lay the thick thread along the line. With a finer thread, come up at 1 on one side, go down at 2 on the other, and repeat at even spaces (3 to 4, then 5 to 6). Both ends of the thick thread go through to the back.
1 Odd numbers: come up from the back2 Even numbers: go down Dashed: the next stitch
- Bring the thick thread (the laid thread) up at the start of your line.
- Lay it along the line, on top of the fabric.
- With a second needle and a finer thread, come up on one side of the laid thread.
- Go down on the other side, making a small stitch over it. Don't use the hole you came up through.
- Repeat at even spaces along the line, closer together on curves.
- At the end, take the laid thread to the back (a large-eyed needle helps), and secure both threads.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- The laid thread gets pulled to the back.
- Never come up and go down in the same hole. Each couching stitch should straddle the laid thread.
- Wobbly curves.
- Add couching stitches closer together around curves.
- The laid thread looks pinched.
- Make the couching stitches snug but not tight, so the laid thread stays round.
How many strands?
The laid thread can be all six strands, a thicker thread like pearl cotton, or even yarn. Couch it down with one strand: the same color to hide the stitches, or a contrast color to show them off.
Embroidery floss comes as six thin strands twisted together. Cut a length from your fingertips to your elbow, pull out the strands you need one at a time, and lay them back together (DMC’s guide to stranded floss).
Questions people ask
What can I couch?
Almost anything: all six strands of floss, pearl cotton, yarn, cord or metallic thread.
How far apart should couching stitches be?
Evenly spaced, and closer on curves. Use whatever spacing keeps the laid thread sitting on your line.
Should the couching thread match?
It's up to you. A matching color hides the stitches; a contrast color turns them into part of the design.