How to Make a Silk Ribbon Embroidery Christmas Rose

Silk ribbon embroidery is fun and, with a little practice, simple to do. Master embroiderer Chris Rankin, in her book Splendid Silk Ribbon Embroidery, said "Silk ribbon embroidery lends the grace and beauty of purely decorative needlework to clothing, pillows, samplers, quilts, linens, and accessories."
Stitching an SRE Christmas rose onto a hand towel or crazy quilt square is a lovely way to add a personal holiday touch. Originating with the legend of a poor shepherdess and her gift of roses to baby Jesus, according to Martha Stewart's article Christmas Tree Decorations, "the Christmas rose (in fact not a rose at all but a hellebore) blooms each December as a reminder of this loving gift." The hellebore can be represented with five white petals around a yellow center, accented with leaves scattered around the blossoms. This pattern is easily stitched using silk ribbon embroidery.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• White silk ribbon -- 7mm Yellow silk ribbon -- 3mm Green silk ribbon -- 7mm Hand towel, washed and ironed, or crazy quilt square Scrap fabric Embroidery hoop Needles Scissors Optional: Embroidery floss (yellows, greens)

1. Draw a design pattern with pencil on paper roughly the same size as the end of your hand towel or quilt square. Christmas roses can be represented by five lines radiating from a small circle. Leaves can be represented by a single line. Designs that include an odd number of motifs are the most visually pleasing so try three roses or five roses with a few leaves tucked among them.

2. 
    

   Practice the stitches, outlined below, on a piece of scrap fabric. Recreate pattern onto hand towel/quilt square with light pencil marks.

3. 
    
   Japanese ribbon stitches for petals.

   Thread a chenille needle with a 12-inch piece of white ribbon. Once the ribbon is through the eye of needle, anchor by pushing needle through the short end of the ribbon about one-quarter inch from the end and pulling through. Make a knot in the opposite end of the ribbon.

4. 
    
   Straight stitches for leaves.

   Complete a Japanese ribbon stitch for each rose petal. For each petal, pull threaded needle up through fabric at one end of petal. Holding ribbon along petal line, push needle back through the center of the ribbon and the fabric at the opposite end of the petal line. The ribbon will roll to the inside as the needle is gently pulled through, making a petal shape.

5. 
    
   French knots for rose centers.

   Make a straight stitch for each leaf. Thread chenille needle with 12-inch piece of green ribbon. Anchor and knot as in step 3. For each leaf, pull threaded needle up through fabric at one end of leaf. Work a straight stitch, pushing needle back through fabric at opposite end of leaf.

6. Make a cluster of french knots in the center of each rose. Thread chenille needle with 12-inch piece of yellow ribbon. Anchor and knot as in step 3. For each french knot, bring needle up through fabric. Wrap the ribbon around the needle two or three times and, holding it in place, push needle back through fabric right at insertion point. This will make a knot that sits on top of the fabric. A small cluster of french knots forms the center of each Christmas rose.

Tips & Warnings

• Silk embroidery ribbon is widely available in various widths and colors. It may be desirable to iron the ribbon with a cool iron before use. Try using embroidery floss to make some of the french knots at the center of the Christmas roses. Chenille needles are used for silk ribbon embroidery. Embroidery needles are used when stitching with floss.

References

• Textile artist Sharon Boggon offers tips and tutorials on ribbon embroidery.
• Martha Stewart offers a multitude of creative ideas for Christmas tree decorating.

Resources

• SplendidSilk Ribbon Embroidery, Chris Rankin; 1997