Couching: a beginner's guide
Lay a thread down and tie it on.
- Couching attaches a laid thread to fabric by stitching over it with a second, finer thread.
- The laid thread only goes through the fabric at its two ends.
- It suits thick, textured or fragile threads: wool, cord, braid, ribbon or metal thread.
- Use it for outlines, borders, curved lines and filling shapes.
- The name comes from the French 'coucher', to lay down.
Watch
Couch Stitch or Couching - Hand embroidery Tutorial (5:33)
By Jenny Blair · Open on YouTube
Chosen from its title and channel: a 5-minute video from Jenny Blair on the same topic as this guide. Embedded from YouTube with credit; we don't host it. It only loads when you press play.
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Sources
All checked November 1, 2026. We read these; we did not test the products ourselves.