Bokhara Couching (Gobelin Stitch)

Bokhara couching is known as self-couching stitch. It is worked with one thread and needle. A straight stitch is made across the ground material and the needle and thread re-emerge to stitch the long thread down. Small, slanting stitches are worked over the laid thread or yarn to hold it in place. Bokhara couching requires the use of a hoop or frame for proper stitching.

Couching is another easy embroidery stitch in hand embroidery, and a great way to create decorative line stitches that scroll and twirl about. It’s also widely used for filling areas, and historically was used to great effect during the Middle Ages and Renaissance in a technique called Or Nue.

The Bokhara Couching is similar to the trammed upright gobelin stitch. There are three basic types of bokhara couching stitches; the bokhara couching stitch, the diagonal bokhara couching stitch and the staggered bokhara couching stitch. All three variations of this stitch create a woven pattern.

The foundation stitch (also known as the laid stitch) is the horizontal stitch over which all of the vertical stitches are worked. The foundation stitch may be any length you choose. These couching stitches are suitable for filling in small areas and backgrounds. When complete, the bokhara couching stitches create a “woven look”.

Bokhara couching is a filling technique used in surface embroidery. Unlike regular couching, Bokhara couching uses only one thread, which serves as both the laid thread and the couching thread. It’s a great couching stitch for forming patterns in your couched threads. Some embroiderers demonstrate Bokhara couching with a horizontal straight stitch couched down by vertical tiny straight stitches; others show the couching stitch alternating placement row by row (to form a bricking pattern).

There are other types of “self couching” techniques (where the couching stitches are worked back over the laid thread, using the same thread) – Roumanian couching and Klosterstitch come to mind. The difference between these couching techniques are subtle.

The principle difference between Bokhara couching and Roumanian and Klosterstitch is that the couching stitches are generally small and very visible, forming a pattern. In Roumanian couching, the couching stitch is meant to work back into the design, making a subtle textured difference, but not highly noticeable. With Klosterstitch, the couching thread is meant to be as invisible as possible.