Showing posts with label couching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label couching. Show all posts

Monday, June 2, 2025

How to Create Fur with Teddy Thread

The Wool and The Floss sells a thread they call Teddy Thread.  It's for fur or fleece and comes on a five yard card.  There are four colors:  white, cream, gray and beige.

It is couched into position and then fluffed.  The shop's Instagram account has a video demonstrating how to use Teddy Thread.  It's easy!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright April 12, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, April 7, 2025

Couching Embellishments: The Movie

Fire and Iris shows how to attach those miniature Christmas tree lights to your canvas.

Be careful.  Some will need glue to keep them from sliding off the cord.  Personally, I just enlarge a hole a tad and take the loose end to the back to secure, but this will work as well.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 15, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, May 20, 2022

A Beginner's Guide to Couching

Needlepoint for Fun's latest article is about couching and how it is done.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright April 19, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, March 29, 2021

The Couching Class

Kathy at The Unbroken Thread decided to take a couching class to combat the stitching blahs.  

Look at all she achieved!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright March 21, 2021 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, October 23, 2020

Substitutes for Memory Thread

It's debatable whether DMC's memory thread (a thin copper wire wrapped with their floss) is discontinued or not.  Lots of people say it is but it is easy to find online.  DMC is notorious for discontinuing a line in one country but not another and I can't find out for certain.  

But given that a lot of people are looking for a substitute, you might consider Kreinik's Hot Wire, now called Wired Braid, which is their size 16 metallic braid with wire down the middle.  It comes in 18 colors.  You can also make your own, although this is easier to do with the larger sizes of Kreinik than the smaller ones.

Painters Threads carries gimp, which is a thick, non-wired thread that you couch into position.  It may be easier to use than a wired thread in some situations, too.

Their gimp comes in all the Painter Thread overdyed colors, too.  You can order directly from the distributor if your local shop doesn't carry this.

I've also couched size 5 perle cotton and Kreinik's metallics when I needed a raised line.  Where there's a will, there is a thread for this!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 3, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Learn to Couch: The Movie

Ever had a curved black outline or thin lettering on a canvas and despaired of how to do that with tent stitches? The answer is couching!  Needlepoint.com did a short video to explain how simple couching is done.  (There are variations on couching such as underside couching but the plain variety works beautifully in needlepoint.)
https://needlepoint.com/blogs/needlepoint-know-how/how-to-couch-threads

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 18, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Underside Couching

This Medieval couching technique might work very well on needlepoint canvas, depending on the design, so I'm adding the link for the more experimental stitchers to think about.
http://www.sharpneedler.com/2019/08/dragonfly-with-underside-couching.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 9, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

A Master Class on Couching

Kreinik just posted a wonderful video of Jill Rigoli of Danji Designs explaining various ways to couch using Kreinik threads:  metallics, Facets, and chenille.  Jill even shows you have to couch with beads.  It's an easy way to create a solid line on your canvas with little effort.
https://www.facebook.com/Kreinik.Manufacturing.Company/videos/309156673099885/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright May 8m 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, November 23, 2018

Couching to Create Dimensional Folds

Needlepoint for Fun's October newsletter is all about using couched threads to create dimension on your canvas, especially if you have a folded flower petal or dog's ear.
https://www.needlepoint-for-fun.com/the-best-way-to-use-needlepoint-couching-to-fold-petals-and-floppy-ears.htm

Couching is quick and easy, although you do have to figure out where to start/end the couched thread so that the place where it goes through the canvas isn't obvious.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 12, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, September 15, 2018

Couching, The Video

Kreinik has posted a video tutorial on couching.  Of course the tutor from the San Francisco School of Needlework and Design doing the demonstration is using Kreinik threads on fabric, but all this works on needlepoint canvas and it's interesting to watch. She has some good tips, too.
http://kreinikthread.blogspot.com/2018/07/learn-how-to-couch-fun-fibers.html

If you always wanted to try couching but didn't really understand written directions, this is a great resource.  There are more videos on the SF School of Needlework's YouTube channel, too.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGcG04h6WCbZ8bAveD7T7cA

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 10, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Emphasizing the Bitch UPDATED

Step One

Now that all the words except for "bitch" are stitched, it's time to embellish the heck out of the most important and largest word on my canvas.  I decided to use a stitch called Two Color Keenen from Ruth Schmuff's Stitches Four.  The first step is to do vertical columns of slanting stitches using my size 8 Finca perle cotton.  The photo above shows that this creates a sort of striped effect.


Step Two
The second step is to add tent stitches with the very dark purple Silk Lame Braid that was used in the work "not" in the top line.   Reusing a thread in various areas in a design unifies it in my opinion.


Step Three


Then I added purple beads (used in the dot over the eye) to add dimension and sparkle.  This photo is slightly tilted to help show the dimension.  By the way, to add depth to all this purple I threw in some gold hex beads at random.


Step Four

The fourth step is to outline each letter by couching the deep purple Kreinik used in the Smooch stitch above the "c" in "bitch."  More design unification!  The outlining raises the letters visually.


Step Five
The final step is to attach a deep purple Swarovski bicone crystal to the middle of the "B" and to toss on some gold star sequins for emphasis.

Next time we'll move on to the background's final touches.

UPDATE:  Pat is brick stitch beading her B and I.  Pretty!
http://needleartnut.blogspot.com/2016/11/bi.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 25,  2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, May 13, 2016

Learn to Couch

Needlepoint for Fun's latest tutorial is how to couch.  Sorry, this doesn't mean lessons on how to veg out on the sofa--but it's nearly as much fun.
http://www.needlepoint-for-fun.com/needlepoint-couching.htm

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright April 21, 2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

A Quick Lesson on Reverse Couching UPDATED

Between sessions of Japanese Embroidery, Carol-Anne of the Coral Seas blog took a Tanja Berlin Tanya Bentham course and learned about reverse couching in gold work.  Reverse couching can be used to create intricate goldwork patterns with metallic threads so I thought you'd like to hear what Carol-Anne learned.  Click on the little photos for a really good look.
http://threadsacrosstheweb.blogspot.com/2016/02/english-work-embroidery-short-course.html

UPDATE:  Nupur says that Carol-Anne took the class with Tanya Bentham instead of Tanja Berlin.  Sorry!  My apologies to everyone, particularly since I've followed Tanja's blog for several years without realizing that is who was posting.  Here's the link.
https://opusanglicanum.wordpress.com/author/opusanglicanum/

I'm leaving up the link to Tanja Berlin's website, since it is a fun visit for everyone, too.  Sorry for the confusion!  And thanks for straightening me out, Nupur.
http://www.berlinembroidery.com

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 10, 2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Tony Minieri on Pattern Couching and Or Nue'

Tony Minieri has posted a tutorial on pattern couching and Or Nue' on his blog. He points out this is a great way to add texture and dimension to small areas of your canvas.
http://www.tonyminieri.com/tonyblog/2015/4/29/the-highs-and-lows-of-embellishment

It's a Must Read!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright May 1, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Is Repousse' Actually Trailing?

I've heard about Tony Minieri's repousse' technique and seen photos of it but I never have tried it.
http://eyecandyneedleart.blogspot.com/2014/03/in-classroom-with-tony-minieri.html

http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/im-thinking-halloween/

http://nystitchingsisters.blogspot.com/search?q=repousse

So I was quite excited to see Tracy Franklin talking about something similar she calls trailing. She posts lots of hints, too!  I am not sure they are exactly the same, but if you wish to create a dimensional couched line, this is something to try.
http://tracyafranklin.blogspot.com/2014/12/crathorne-bug-trailing.html

http://tracyafranklin.blogspot.com/2014/12/crathorne-bug-continuing-trailing-and.html

http://tracyafranklin.blogspot.com/2014/12/crathorne-bug-finishing-trailing.html

If you are curious about Tracy's Crathorne bug project, click on the title header and scroll down until you find the November 13 entry where she starts working on this original project.

UPDATE:  I think Tracy's technique isn't actually repousse.  Here's a tutorial by Ruth Schmuff.
http://bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/bedeckednewsjune2015.pdf

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 24, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.