Embroidery: Couching On Flower Applique {pattern & tutorial}

I have been fancied about couching stitch in embroidery recently, so I designed this flower applique embroidery pattern to try it out.

All I can say that this stitch is super easy to sew and the laid work across the edge of the applique is awesome. Just look at my first try and I believed you will agree with me    I have made this flower embroidery pattern available for free download here, try it out!!!

If you have noted that I have been slow in posting for this week, well, I have a good news to announce…. I am learning basic Adobe Illustrator…. which means that you will see more electronically drawn patterns in Craft Passion from now. This is my first Illustrator pattern, apart form those I drawn with Autocad. Finally, those ugly hand sketches are “diminishing” from here!

By the way, this embroidery work will be on my trifold wallet in the coming up post. Check it out when I update my blog again. If you are afraid of missing it out? Do the following:

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Let’s see how I embroidery this couching stitch on my flower pattern

If you haven’t done so, download the embroidery pattern by clicking the picture.
Material needed:
1. Embroidery hoop, at least 5″ diameter.
2. Cotton or linen, at least 7″ square.
3. Fabric for applique, at least 3″ square.
4. Embroidery needle with long eye (to cater 6 strands embroidery floss).
5. Embroidery needle or normal sewing needle (for 2 strands embroidery floss).
6. Heatnbond-Lite iron adhesive interfacing for the flower applique.
7. Transfer pencil or tracing carbon with blunt point pen.
8. Embroidery flosses of your choice.
Trace the pattern and transfer it to your fabric, either using transfer pen or the conventional carbon tracing. If you use transfer pen, remember to print the pattern in “mirror” mode.
Trace the flower applique on the heantnbond-lite, cut it out and stick it on the applique fabric of your choice, follow the instruction on the package, different brand of heat and bond might have different way of doing it. Cut it out from the fabric, place and press it on the embroidery fabric.
Use 6 strands of embroidery floss of your choice and pass it through the long eye embroidery needle, and 2 strands to a normal sewing needle.

A closer look on the stitches.
Sew the 2 x 6 strands floss (laid thread) from the back of the fabric and at the edge of the flower.
Sew the 2 strands (fastening stitch) floss 1/8″ from the starting point of the laid thread.
Sew the fastening stitch back to the bottom of the fabric to fasten the laid thread. The fastening stitch must be straight across the laid thread to produce a better couching effect.

Up again at 1/8″ apart from the first fastening stitch. Repeat until the laid work along the edge is completed.

Sew the laid thread back to the bottom from the starting point to finish off the work.

Repeat the steps for the outer edge of the flower.
To ensure the couching work looks good, make a fastening stitch on every inner corner of the petals and make sure all the fastening stitches are equally distributed across the laid thread with an approximate 1/8″ pitch.

A closer look with a slanted angle. If you like to spice up the flower, you can try silk thread or even yarn for the laid thread and use different color for the fastening stitch.

Finish off the rest of the embroidery stitches with 3-4 strands embroidery floss, eg. daisy chain stitch, branch stitch and french knot.

Related Crafts

1. Sewing Tutorial: Reverse-Applique
2. Sewing: TriFold Floral Wallet {Tutorial & Pattern}
3. Sewing: Note Book Cover {Tutorial & Pattern}
4. Sewing Tutorial: Ruffled Flower Corsage HeadBand