Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 376: Pendant Couching Stitch

Today, let's learn a stitch from Sarah's Hand Embroidery Tutorials. Pendant Couching Stitch.

It resembles the #70 Puffy Couching, 

but today we are couching down only one thread. It needs to be a smooth and slippery one to pass through the tiny and tight couching stitches.

Like the recent Looped Stem Stitch, it's a good idea to fix the stitches (on the reverse side)  with something like clear nail varnish or glue.

Work it like this:

In Sarah's instructions, you should draw two lines, one so light you can hardly see it, or skip the line and eyeball the distance. Mark even spots on the other line.

I, however, recommend that you only mark the spots without any lines, as those lines will show once the work is finished.

Place the thread to be couched down (yellow) at the beginning of the line,

and the couching thread (green) at the first mark.

Couch down the yellow thread.

Continue to the right end of the line.

Leave a long tail. Then pull the yellow thread from the right into a loop .

Move this loop one step at a time to the left

between the green crouching marks.

When you reach the very far left mark, 

leave the loop there and repeat the process with a new 

loop on the right side.

Stop when you have looped every section of the line.

According to Sarah's instructions, the charm of this stitch is the uneven, wild loops.

You do not need to couch down the thread on a straight line. Meandering will make it look even more charmingly wild.

Homework:

Add to the three samplers and use the area between the holes on the Aida Sampler.

Friday Revision Homework - Stitches 371 - 375

Every time I make a Sunbonnet Sue Stitch Sampler, I have five stitches to use. At least one of them needs to 'talk to me' and 'tell me what role it wants to play'.

For this scene, I had Cross and Twist Stitch, Looped Stem Stitch, Surface Darning Stitch, Whipped Reversed Fly Stitch and Oblong Cross Stitch. 

It was the Looped Stem Stitch that first whispered into my ear: "You know, Queenie, I was born to become bubbles. Let Sue take a bubble bath". 

Suddenly the Oblong Cross Stitch raised its voice and said: "I would make a beautiful latticed stained glass window, wouldn't I? Matt green for privacy".

The Whipped Reversed Fly Stitch cleared its throat and demanded: "That window needs a frame, and I insist on filling that role!"

After that, the Surface Darning Stitch piped up: " Sue will need a towel when she gets out of the bath. No one makes a better weave than I do!"

Everyone looked at the Cross and Twist Stitch. It looked back at them all and stated: "With such a fine environment, Sue needs an elegant bathtub. The old-fashioned type, with golden lion feet and a row of stars along the side. None of you can surpass me in making golden stars!"

And so, the task of making this Sampler was easy for Queenie!

WIPT - Yes, it means Work In Progress THURSDAY

I am creating this post today to test if I, too, will be having problems with uploading photos.

It seems that several other bloggers are having difficulty adding photos to their blog posts. I don't want to have to deal with this issue tomorrow when I reveal Sunbonnet Sue's adventures.

So here goes:

Here is a sneak peek of Sunbonnet Sue's reverse side.

WIPW - Making Parts

 In today's Work In Progress Wednesday report I will show you 

Sunday Stitch School Indigo Sampler

where I used leftover variegated sashiko thread to make a trellis of #375 Oblong Cross Stitch.

Hexablooms

As I had to make one more column of hexagon blocks, I have been working hard to make the parts.

First, I interviewed the fabric in my stash and decided to add the column on the right side, where there are darker blocks. 

I selected fabric, pressed, cut and decided where to put each block. Then I numbered them, pulled out my box of hexagon card templates and started basting. I have made four stacks. 

I have also basted 7 white hexagons and 17 with metallic fabric.