High School Studio Lesson Christine Orza Christine Kinsey Kistler Kinsey Jan Holzbauer Jan

fabric, although this is not necessary. used to produce the decorative frog- Often the best designs are created by the color may be contrasted for effect. ging on military dress uniforms. playing with and arranging the decora- Students can use conventional sewing tive on the surface of the fabric thread, or floss for greater Free-Form Embroidery until a pleasing design is achieved. dominance. To produce a free-form embroidery, The stitches can be small, students begin by drawing the dimen- straight stitches perpendicularly posi- History of Couching sions of the intended work on sturdy tioned periodically over the top of the Couched in Detail The couching technique is as old and fabric using a water-erasable pen or decorative , or they can be fanciful geographically widespread as embroi- chalk pencil if the background fabric embroidery stitches, thereby adding dery itself. Couching was used to fill is dark. Students insert the fabric into another dimension to the design. Lynne Richards areas with solid color in the famous an that is slightly asked my introductory fiber art tions. Each dipped freely into this upon the surface of a fabric in a pat- , larger than the Lynne Richards lives in Stillwater, Oklahoma. [email protected] students to each bring a skein of collection to select those yarn combi- tern. A second more utilitarian produced in Eng- The assignment: create intended end uniquely textured novelty yarn to nations that would best convey his or thread, coming from the back of the land in the 1070s product. Because freely expressive yarn National Standard class. I supplied each student with her own interpretation of the project. fabric, is then used to stitch over those to depict the mili- couching is more I collages on the surface of Students apply media, techniques, a piece of natural-colored cotton twill Although students all had access to decorative yarns in order to hold them tary exploits of three-dimensional and processes with sufficient skill, containing a centered 6" (15 cm) square the same materials, at the conclusion in place. Couching is especially ideal William the Con- the fabric, using a couching than regular embroidery technique. confidence, and sensitivity that their drawn on the fabric with a water-eras- of the work there was little similarity when using decorative yarns that are queror. It was also - intentions are carried out in their art- able fabric pen. The assignment: create among the . Each person too large, valuable, or fragile to be important in the ing, it is not rec- works. freely expressive yarn collages on the completed the assignment with indi- pulled through the fabric from the production of the luxurious and picto- ommended that the hoop be placed surface of the fabric, using a couching vidualistic creative expression. back to front, as with conventional rial embroideries over the couched yarns, as this may Web Link embroidery technique. embroidery stitching. of the 1300s, made with couched cause damage. www.needlenthread.com/2006/10/ Students pooled their variously Couching The utilitarian thread holding the and metal threads. Couching appears The water-erasable pen or chalk couching-video-tutorial.html colored and textured yarns to create Couching is a design technique in decorative yarns in place may be color- in many traditional Middle Eastern pencil also can be used to lightly a smorgasbord of possible combina- which decorative yarns are arranged matched to the decorative yarns, or and Asian embroideries, and has been sketch general design lines onto the

WEB October 2011 SchoolArts schoolartsonline.com WEB