A Small Adventure in Couching

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As I left the metro, I noticed another passenger with my bag. It shouldn't have been a surprise, it makes sense that the bag was mass produced. But it was an uncomfortable feeling nonetheless. All the way home I started thinking about how can I customise my bag and have fun with it. 

It just so happens, that recently I saw a video about couching which is a type of embroidery where you secure thick thread or material with small stitches from a second, finer yarn. I saw the video before I decided to focus my attention away from that kind of content, but learning is one of the reasons I still keep those apps anyway. 

Here's my honest check-in: this craft this week was hard and that lead me to turn to my phone for hours again and again. I can't get that time back, so I'm just going to try to be different moving forward. 

I have leftover yarn that is beautiful and thick and yellow and I decided to make a star shape in the bottom corner of the bag. I also have leftover blue and red yarn that I may make into smaller stars at the top of the bag. Looking back, I think it would've been easier to start there instead, because I'm finding it hard to sew through the bag and not catch the handles and I have to keep stitching inside a bag when I think straight through would be easier and I have no embroidery hoop which is makes me work slower. 

It's hard to keep the parallel stitches uniform. I chose a thinner black yarn to secure the thick, yellow yarn so the stitches are really clear and obvious which means any mistake is super visable. I've been being careful, but I think if I do make some mistakes or inconsistencies it will show how it was made humanly, which I like.

Because the bag already has a busy pattern I think I will fill the stars or they will get lost in the pattern. I think I will sew a spiral inside the star like a zentangle. But I won't do more couching unless I can fashion myself an embroidery hoop to keep the fabric taught. 

I'm glad I got to give it a go, even if it means my favourite bag is out of commission for a while now. 


By Lucy Pearson White


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