How to Do Ribbon Embroidery and Stumpwork Embroidery
Ribbon and stumpwork are two embroidery techniques that allow needlepoint enthusiast to create large raised patterns. The techniques can be used independently or in combination to create dynamic wall hangings and table décor. Ribbon embroidery makes wide designs that lay flat against the cloth, but can be stitched in such a way that it protrudes off the surface of the fabric. Stumpwork uses wire to create designs that can be posed and literally stand up off the base fabric.
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Things You'll Need
- Embroidery needle
- Embroidery thread
- Base fabric
- Jewelers' wire
- Satin or organza ribbon
- Ribbon needle
- Embroidery hoop
Instructions
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Stumpwork
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1
Trace the pattern you have selected onto the fabric base. Remember that the fabric needs to be relatively stiff. If you are working with a thin fabric, use interfacing or iron-on fusing to fuse two pieces of the fabric together for stability. Trace each piece of the pattern at least a ¼-inch apart so that you can easily cut between them.
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2
Run thin wire, such as jewelers' wire, around the traced design. Sew it to the fabric using couching stitches that run up and over the wire. Couching stitches should be snug so that they can be hidden and spaced between 1/4- and 1/8-inch apart. Use thread the same color as the fabric.
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3
Embroider to complete the desired look, according to the pattern you are using. To outline the shape, and leave the base fabric showing at the center, use buttonhole stitches that are tight around the wire. Buttonhole stitches should be placed close together so that none of the wire shows through. To create a solid pattern, like the petal of a flower, use a satin stitch that starts in the center of the petal and then wraps out and around the wire, and back to the center. Use outline stitches around the wire and other stitches to create a patterned or textured look.
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4
Cut the completed pieces from the base fabric. Using a small set of surgical or embroidery scissors, cut as close the wire as you can without clipping any of the embroidery threads.
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5
Sew the pieces to your base background fabric to create the desired design. Sew up through the back of the background fabric and into the back of the stumpwork piece, being careful not to go through the top of the stumpwork where joining stitches would show.
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6
Bend the wires to lift the embroidery away from the background fabric to make the design look realistic and 3-dimensional.
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7
Complete the project with traditional embroidery to add details. For example, if you are making a bouquet of flowers using stumpwork, the petals and leaves will be raised with wire, but the stem can be worked in flat stitch.
Ribbon Embroidery
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8
Trace a pattern on the base material.
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9
Draw short lines with a straight stitch. Push the needle up from the bottom of your embroidery hoop at the line's starting point, and then back down from the top at the other end of the design. A single stitch can be used to form leaves and petals. A straight stitch is intended only for short straight lines.
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10
Sew long lines with the stem stitch, using thin ribbons. Starting at one end of the long line, push the needle up through the base fabric. Push the needle back down through the fabric ½-inch farther than the first hole. Push the needle back up through the fabric at the midpoint of the previous stitch. Push it back down through the fabric to create another stitch ½-inch long. Keep repeating this process for the full length of the line.
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11
Tie a knot on the surface of the fabric. Create grapes in clusters, eyes on an animal or person, blossoms on a flower or other round elements in a design. Push the needle up through the cloth at the center of the design. Wrap the ribbon around the needle at least two times. The more wraps around the needle, the larger the knot it will create. Slide the loops of ribbon off the end of the needle so that they loop on top of the fabric, and then push the tip of the needle down through the middle of the loops. Pull on the needle from the backside so that the rings form a tight knot.
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12
Use other more specialized stitches to fill in any remaining portions of the pattern, such as the ribbon stitch, lazy-daisy and woven rosette.
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