How to Do Silk Ribbon Embroidery

ribbon embroidery violet

Silk ribbon embroidery has returned to American needlework crafts, and it is a joy to create pictures or embellish hats or scarves using old and new techniques.

Some techniques and stitches may be your own style, developed from the standard stitches you can learn from a book or online. One of the pleasures of silk ribbon embroidery is in experimentation.

Here are some silk ribbon embroidery basics. We have links to other articles on specific stitches in Resources below.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• silk ribbon
• crewel or silk ribbon needles
• scissors
• fabric like moire or fleece

1. Ribbon Embroidery Poinsettia

   Use silk ribbon only.

   Use only silk ribbon for the best look and effect, and for ease of use. Other ribbon does not pull through a small hole made by the crewel or silk ribbon needle, does not pierce properly, and does not give the same appeal. Some stitches like French knots made with other ribbon are too large.

2. Chain stitch a flower in ribbon

   Use the correct size of silk ribbon.

   Work with 4mm and 7mm silk ribbon for the best success in silk ribbon embroidery. It is rare to need other sizes, except for making attached flowers or leaves. These are flowers and leaves made independent of the fabric and added after completion, and they do not need to be in silk ribbon, but need to be washable.

3. Loop stitch a flower for a floppy look

   Learn basic or standard stitches.

   Learn the ribbon stitch, straight stitch, couching stitch, lazy daisy, and how to make a few roses like the spiderweb rose. Once you learn these basic stitches, experiment for an individual style or look for your silk ribbon embroidery work.

4. A rickrack flower

   Try new stitches and fabrics.

   Use fleece for a scarf or hat project or moire fabric for a picture. Create some flowers with your own style. Use other products like rickrack to make applied flowers you design yourself. Lace makes interesting applied flowers, too.

   Learn silk ribbon embroidery and branch out to work a combination of needlework in one project, including thread embroidery and crochet techniques. These stitches are also used for crazy quilting.

Tips & Warnings

• We often write about needlework crafts. See more articles about Silk Ribbon Embroidery in Resources below.

• copyright 2009 Linda Richard

• Feel free to link to this article or send it to a friend. Do not copy.

Resources

• Make a Ribbon Embroidery Loop Flower
• Make a Ribbon Embroidery Spiderweb Rose
• Make an Embroidery Bullion Rose
• Make a Ribbon Embroidery Twisted Rose
• Make a Ribbon Embroidery Rose
• Make a Rickrack Chrysanthemum