Colcha embroidery

Embroidered coverlet, 1786

Colcha embroidery from the southwest United States is a form of surface embroidery that uses wool threads on cotton or linen fabric. During the Spanish Colonial period, the word colcha referred to a densely embroidered wool coverlet. In time, the word also came to refer to the embroidery stitch that was used for these coverlets, and then began to be used on other surfaces.[1] The colcha stitch is self-couched, with threads applied at a 45-degree angle to tie down the stitch. Originally, the wool threads were dyed naturally, using plants or insects, such as cochineal. Both materials used and design motifs have varied over time.[2]: 112 

  1. ^ Macaulay, Suzanne (March–April 2017). "The Eloquent Colcha". PieceWork. 25 (2): 36–37, 40.
  2. ^ Bath, Virginia Churchill (1979). Needlework in America : history, designs, and techniques. New York: Viking Press. ISBN 0-670-50575-7. OCLC 4957595.