A simple embroidery how-to by Lora Avedian
There is something about oak leaves that I just love, perhaps it’s the historical significance, or just the beautiful scalloped edges. This embroidered oak leaf is done with a simple technique called couching, which I use a lot in my work. The basic idea of this is that you are pinning down a material in this case embroidery thread, with small stitches using another often thinner thread. The result being a continuous line of material which sits on top of the surface of the fabric and forms the embroidered pattern. Below I am going to show you how to use a found oak leaf to create an embroidery which can be framed.
Lora is currently writing a book about this versatile technique, due to be published spring 2021 with Hardie Grant. She also running online workshops in this technique and others; you can find dates and tickets at loraavedian.com.
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Lora Avedian1/10You will need:
Fabric; I have used a crisp cotton organdie here, but you could use a thin linen or cotton.
Embroidery hoop
Embroidery thread
Standard sewing thread
Embroidery needle (no.3-9)
Small sharp scissors
Pencil
An oak leaf
Lora Avedian2/10Place your leaf on the centre of your fabric and draw around your leaf with your pencil. Holding down the leaf with one hand and trace around the outline.
Lora Avedian3/10Put your leaf to one side and draw a line down the centre of your leaf
Lora Avedian4/10Put the fabric in your hoop, making sure your drawing is in the centre of the hoop and thread up your needle with a doubled length of standard sewing thread, knotting the ends of your thread together.
Lora Avedian5/10To start your embroidery lay your embroidery thread on top of your fabric over your drawn line, starting at the bottom of your leaf. Hold the embroidery thread down with your thumb and put your needle into the back of the fabric, just to the left of your line.
Lora Avedian6/10Take your sewing thread and needle over to the right of your embroidery thread and put your needle back into the fabric just on the other side of your pencil line, catching the embroidery thread down onto the surface of the fabric. Do this a couple of times in the same place as your starting point, and then continue to your next stitch about 1cm away from your first stitch.
Lora Avedian7/10Continue these stitches following along your drawn line, always going up through the fabric on the left of your pencil line and coming back down very close to it on the right of your line, try to keep this stitch very small.
Lora Avedian8/10When you get back to where you started, continue up the centre line of your leaf and back down, lining up your stitches next to each-other on their way back, finishing back at the bottom of the leaf where you started by stitch over the end a few times.
Lora Avedian9/10Cut off your threads, and iron it lightly on the back.
Lora Avedian10/10Cut the fabric down to fit in your frame and you are finished!
