How to do the Persian Border Stitch - Sarah's Hand Embroidery Tutorials

About Persian Border Stitch
The Persian Couching is a creative way to use the technique of couching for creative embroidery. It uses a base of a few laid threads over which another thread is couched down in a meandering fashion. You can apply this couching over a thick cord too. To do this stitch, I will use three different threads—one to lay the foundation, one to make the meandering pattern, and one to couch the thread down. This should give you an idea of how stitches like the Feather Stitch and Herringbone Stitch can be used to couch down threads in a creative manner.

How to do the Persian Border Stitch


Fig 1: Start by laying straight stitches from one end to the other. I have made a layer of 5 threads, thick enough to illustrate the couching.	Fig 2: Bring out the thread to be couched from one end of the laid thread, as shown. Leave it open.

Fig 3: Now, bring out another thread from the bottom of the laid thread. Loop the open thread under it as shown.	Fig 4: Couch this open thread down by using the working thread to pin it down, as shown.

Fig 5: Now, bring out the working thread from the top.	Fig 6: Loop the open thread under it and couch it down with the working thread.

Fig 7: Continue this process for the entire length of the laid thread.	Fig 8: Finish the couching bypassing the open thread through the fabric at the end of the laid thread. The working thread can also be finished.

Fig 9: The Persian Couching would look like this.