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Colcha Stitch

The colcha is a type of self-couching stitch that is also called Bokhara or Romanian Couching. The long base stitch is held flat along the ground cloth by two or three smaller stitches taken with the same needle and thread. Colcha means "bedcover" in Spanish; in New Mexico the word refers to both the textile and, especially, the stitch used to cover it.

 


Patterns
Stitches
Treatment of Edges
Mending

Spotlight: Mabel Fragua

   

It was found on 18th-century quilts and altar cloths throughout southern Colorada, Nothern New Mexico and other former Spanish areas.   Today, there is,thanks to the efforts of several teachers in Taos and Santa Fe, a revival of the stitch.


Basically a filling stitch worked like a multiple Romanian stitch, the initial laid thread is couched (figures 1 and 2) as many times as required (figure 3). Subsequent rows should be couched at alternating intervals to give an all-over basket effect (figure 4). A fairly lightweight thread is best for the beginner.
 
 School for Advanced Research