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Project 2
June's Fun Project

Evening Bag with Couched Threads

This month's project features an evening bag with hand-dyed threads from Farm Fresh Textiles.

Directions for the Evening Purse
 

Supplies:

A selection of decorative fibers. I used:

• A trio pack of Farm Fresh Textiles hand-dyed threads

• A hank of Farm Fresh Textiles orange Tencel

• YLI thin gold metallic thread

• Invisible thread

• Bottom line light beige thread

• Samples of fabric or scraps

• Grid printed fusible interfacing. 2 " grid or if all you can find is 1" grid, just use them at 2" intervals.

(I used 3" silk squares that were samples for a fabric store) Perhaps your fabric store has these samples. You can use fabric scraps if you want.

Pattern:

Take 2 sheets of copier paper. Fold one in half crosswise. Tape the half at the end of the first sheet of copier paper and you have a pattern that is 8 1/2 in wide X 16.5 inches long.

Prepare gridded background. Cut a background piece of the fusible interfacing, 12 squares long by 6 squares wide.

This is larger than your pattern as you have to allow for multiple seams.
 

Silk sample squares - I forgot to take a picture
of the light ones before I began,
These are squares I have left.




Threads. I eventually discarded the eyelash thread
and added a gold thread.
 

Here We Go!

Trim all your fabric squares to 2" on each side

Put the gridded background on an ironing surface, fusible side up.

Arrange the squares in a pleasing pattern on the gridded fusible background. Iron in place. If you are using Silk, remember to change your iron setting. You can damage silk if your iron is too hot. I ironed on the fusible side using an applique sheet, you can use parchment paper or backing paper that came from fusible web packages. The reason for this is that unless you are better at arranging the squares than I am, there will be some of the fusible surface showing here and there between squares. Then iron the back.
 

Turn the assembly over. fold on one of the crosswise lines, right sides of the fabric together. Stitch a seam 1/4" from the fold line. Stitch all the cross line seams the same way. Iron both sides, remember to be careful of heat setting.  Repeat the same step for all lengthwise seams. You now have the squares attached by the seams.

Front, showing seams
 

Back, showing seams
 

For these next steps, I add a thin batting under the silk. This is to make the purse less flimsy. No matter what you add, you must give the fabric some support for the stitching you are about to do. If I did not use batting, I would have used a stabilizer. Since the back will be hidden between the outer fabric of the purse and the lining, it can be a non-removable stabilizer if you wish. (See my article on stabilizers under the Tab "Articles".

Now to the fun part, unless you get a kick out of sewing seams! Take your threads. Wind a thread, that is not your thickest one, but is too big or too difficult (read lumpy or brittle) to go through the needle. I wound the thread from the hank on the bobbin.. It is about the size of perle cotton you can see it in the photo at teh top of the lesson. I used Superior's Bottom Line thread in the top. You could have used any thread that you like as long as it goes through the needle. With the wrong side of the sandwich up, Stitch a couple of curving lines. The fancy thread is coming from the bobbin so it is on the down side of the sandwich. Try a fancy stitch if your machine has them.

To do bobbin work:

•  Wind yarn or thread on your bobbin

• If the yarn does not fit in your usual tensioning mechanism, just ignore the tensioning mechanism and after inserting the bobbin back in the machine, bring the yarn to the top the usual way.

• Practice a little bit on a test piece to see if you like the way it looks.

• Remember you put your piece under the presser foot top side down

It is that easy !
 

Bobbin stitched fiber
 

Yarn attached with straight stitch
 

Now, turn the sandwich back so the top is up. Try attaching a wider yarn on the top. If is a flat ribbon such as the hand dyed one that I used, you can use several different techniques and different threads. One technique is to do a straight stitch.
If you stitch with a straight stitch down the middle of the ribbon, you may have some lengthwise curling of the ribbon. Unless this is the effect that you want, you need to try something else.You can alternatively use a twin needle that is the right width to stitch two rows at the same time, one on each side of the ribbon, or you can stitch each side separately. The advantage of the twin needle is that maintains an even space between the two rows of stitches.
 

Thread to be couched pinned in place
 

Thread couched with gold
 

The third technique is actual couching. Prepare the thread, ribbon or yarn for couching by using pins every few inches as shown above. You are not putting pins through you yarn, but rather trapping the yarn under the pin. There are also couching and/or cording feet available for most machines, that will allow a controlled feed of the yarn as you stitch. This allows you more maneuverability than the pin method so you can do more intricate designs.,
Now that you have your thread laid out, decide what thread you want to catch it down with. If you use invisible thread, you will barely see the stitching. If you use gold thread as I did for much of my couching, you will see the gold glitter. If you use another thread you will see the thread color as it passes over the thread you are couching down. You couch by stitching with a stitch that pins the yarn to the fabric surface. This is typically a zig-zag stitch, but it does not have to be. Stitch a zigzag that goes into the fabric on each side of the yarn as you stitch the length of the yarn. Try a few of those, using different colors or types of stitching threads for variety.
Please experiment with various yarns and stitches on a separate piece. A closer zigzag stitch will result in removing some of the dimension from the yarn, packing the yarn more tightly . You can also decide whether to flaunt your couching stitch or hide it.
 

Couched yarns and bobbin yarns
 

Couched yarn (purple), ribbon stitched with
straight stitch (turquoise), built-in fancy stitch (gold),
bobbin work (orange).
 

Add a few swerves of stitching using different fancy threads on the top of your machine for a little variety. Try a fancy stitch or a zigzag stitch. In my example, I used the gold thread as I like sparkle and straight stitch, and did a fancy scallop stitch and did 2 zigzag stitches. One zigzag I did on top of a decorative stitch where I did not like the initial results. Keep making swerving rows. Use different weight yarns to be couched down. Try a heavier yarn in the bobbin. When you are satisfied with your pattern of stitching, we will go on to finish the purse.
 

Back of sandwiched front

Use a rounded object to trace a rounded edge on the
lower edges of the front. (red line)
 

Put pattern down on back side of the sandwich and trim away excess. Then put fabric you will use for the lining face down on the right side of the sandwich. Stitch completely around the sandwich, leaving a two inch opening to turn the sandwich right side out.

Use some thing round as a template to round the corners of the flap. Trim away the excess and sitch a quarter inch inside the cutting line. Turn the sandwich right side out.

After turning right side out, pin the opening closed and iron flat . Fold bottom 1/3 up and pin to sides of the purse. Topstitch starting at the bottom on one side, stitch the two sides of the body of the purse together and stitch closed the opening on the purse.
 

Front of purse opened up showing lining
 

Back of finished purse, opened up
 

You can use snaps or a button to close the purse or just leave it folded over as a clutch purse.
 

Finished purse front
 

Finished purse back