The first thing I learned in the Craftsy Stupendous Stitching class is the definition of couching. Couching is when yarn, fibers, or other materials are fastened to a foundation/background fabric with small stitches with the same yarn or different threads. This technique is the starting point of the Stupendous Stitching project and the reason I needed the Pearls 'N Piping Creative Feet foot I showed you on Thursday.
After I chose my blue Batik background fabric and stabilized it with some heavy-weight fusible interfacing, I was ready to begin my couching experience. I attached the couching foot (aka the Pearls 'N Piping foot) and selected some fibers from my stash. Since there 'are no mistakes' in the Stupendous Stitching project and a variety of colours is encouraged, there really wasn't a wrong way to do this technique nor any inappropriate fiber to use.
It is very fun to 'couch' and sadly, is over too quickly! For the project we only had to add 5 or 6 lines of couching, leaving a couple inches in between for the addition of other stitches and embellishments. Gentle curves and wavy lines, mixed with straight ones, yield the best results...I went a bit overboard with the neon green fiber - I was initially trying to make an enclosed circle which didn't work out - and it got away from me. I don't like the way it ended up but, since there are no mistakes, I just left it there and learned my lesson for next time.
Couching is a lot of fun and I'm sure I will think of ways to add this to other projects. I changed threads with each line of couching I did, sometimes matching the thread to the fiber and sometimes using variegated thread. I also learned to move the fabric (instead of the fiber) and not pull the couching material too far in my turns since that results in the zig-zags going off track and not catching the fibers.
So that's step 1 of the Stupendous Stitching piece...and only the beginning of this interesting art project!
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