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SewSift mascots Pinny, Bobbin and Dot with couching

Couching

A thread or other material is laid on the surface of the fabric and held down with small stitches.

ResearchedSewSift editorialChecked Nov 1, 2026

What it is

Laying a thread on fabric and tying it down with small stitches.

Who it suits

Beginners: one simple stitch.

What you need

Two needles, a thick laid thread and a finer tying thread.

A first project

A couched yarn outline.

The couching guides

Beginner's guide

What you need

Techniques and stitches

First project

Mistakes and fixes

Next steps

Sources

All checked November 1, 2026. We read these; we did not test the products ourselves.

  1. Wikipedia: Couching

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Researched, sources cited

Specs, manuals, maker pages and owner reports, each with a checked date.

US prices and stores

US dollars before sales tax, with the store and the date we checked.

Public corrections

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