Embroider hankies, tablecloths and more with this ribbon technique from the Victorian Age.
Materials
- Tracing paper and black permanent marker
- 14-in. x 16-in. off-white fabric for background (see Tips and Techniques below)
- Quilter’s marking pen or pencil
- Embroidery hoop that will fit the entire design
- Embroidery needle
- Tapestry needle
- Chenille needles, Size 18 and 20, or as needed for ribbon width
- Silk ribbon: 60 in. of 1/2-in.-wide orange, 70 in. of 1/2-in. green, 60 in. of 1/8-in. dark green and 28 in. of 1/8-in. yellow
- Six-strand embroidery floss: blue, green, orange and yellow
- Scissors
Instructions
- Download and print pattern.
- Trace pattern onto tracing paper with marker. Center background fabric over pattern and trace it onto fabric with quilter’s marking pen or pencil.
EMBROIDERY TIPS AND TECHNIQUES:
- Choose an open-weave fabric for the background. It will strain the ribbon less, adding dimension.
- Mark only necessary areas of pattern, so the stitching will cover the lines.
- Press ribbons before you start stitching to remove creases.
- Work with ribbon cut to 12 to 14 inches, to prevent wear on ribbon.
- Pull gently on the ribbon as you stitch so stitches remain full. If you pull too hard, the stitches will lose dimension.
- Cut ribbon ends at an angle to prevent fraying.
- Thread ribbon through needle eye. To secure it to the needle, pierce the center of the ribbon about ½ in. from the opposite end. Slide the short end up to the eye, then pull the long end of the ribbon, securing it (Fig. 6).
- To knot long end, fold end of ribbon over ¼ in. and pierce with the needle’s tip. Pull needle and ribbon all the way through both thicknesses until a knot is formed (Fig. 7)
- French knot, lazy daisy, stem and straight stitches are all formed as in other embroidery, but kept loose rather than taut.
- For smooth stitches, keep a tapestry needle handy to hold ribbon in place when completing a stitch.
STEMS:
- Separate green six-strand floss into lengths of 3 strands to stem-stitch each stem. (Fig. 1)
SMALL LEAVES:
- Using dark-green ribbon, straight-stitch the small leaves. (Fig. 2)
YELLOW FLOWERS:
- Separate blue six-strand floss into lengths of 3 strands to make French knots in the center of each flower. (Fig. 3)
- Use yellow ribbon to straight-stitch 5 petals for each flower.
ORANGE BUDS:
- Use orange ribbon and the lazy daisy stitch to make one bud. (Fig. 4) Make the other two buds with the ribbon stitch. (Fig. 5)
- Use green ribbon and the ribbon stitch to make the sides of the buds. Make a short straight stitch under each bud.
LEAVES:
- Make the leaves with green ribbon and the ribbon stitch.
- Use a single strand of green floss to straight-stitch veins in each.
ORANGE FLOWERS:
- Use remaining orange ribbon to make two folded ribbon roses (Fig. 8). Hand-tack to background fabric.
Craft originally sent in by Lee Ann Quigley.
