Ribbon Work Techniques

I love flowers and gardens, I love to look at them and wear them all year long! The Petals and Posies Series begins with simple flowers and progressively becomes more challenging as with each pattern. These are all ribbon-work techniques, they do not include embroidery techniques.

Petals and Posies 1- ribbon worked flowers and leaves

This project will introduce you to hand-stitched flowers and leaves which are made from a variety of ribbons including French wire, dyed silk bias, and satin. These flowers can be made into corsages or used to decorate baskets and gifts.
The flowers taught in class are: rosette, double edge rosette, berry, rose hip, single-edged rose, double-edged rose, curled leaf, and a small bud or leaf.

Petals and Posies 2- ribbon worked flowers and leaves

This class will further your knowledge of hand-stitched flowers made from a variety of ribbons: French wire, dyed silk bias, velvet, and grosgrain. These flowers can be made into corsages or used to decorate baskets and gifts. Everyone enjoys a hand made flower! The flowers covered in the class are: begonia, double-edged begonia, pansy, Gwen's butterfly, folded daisy, folded bias rose, man in his kimono leaf, the banana leaf, and a twin prairie point leaf.

Petals and Posies 3- ribbon worked flowers and leaves

This class will further your knowledge of hand-stitched flowers made from a variety of ribbons: French wire, dyed silk bias, and organza. These flowers can be made into corsages or used to decorate baskets and gifts.The flowers are more exotic in technique than the first two classes. The flowers covered in the class are: fuchsia, antherium, Cynthia rose, bleeding heart, chrysanthemum, daffodil, lily, 1920's leaf, twin leaf, and a prairie point leaf.

Petals and Posies 4-ribbon worked flowers and leaves

This class will introduce you to hand-stitched flowers made from French wire ribbon. These flowers can be made into corsages or used to decorate baskets and gifts.The flowers are more exotic in technique than the first two classes. The flowers covered in the class are: concertina rose, soft petal rose, rosette, pin rose, cake flower, Gypsy roe, Lilly Munster leaf, man in his kimono leaf, and twin mitered leaf.

Petals and Posies 5-ribbon worked flowers and leaves

This class will introduce you to hand-stitched flowers made from Hanah Silk bias, velvet, satin and French wire ribbons. These flowers can be made into corsages or used to decorate baskets and gifts. The flowers are more exotic in technique than the first two classes. The flowers covered in the class are: iris, star flower, ruffled posy, pleated carnation, petal rose, pointed leaf, double ruffle leaf, and spear leaf.

Happy stitching, enjoy the time that you have to create!

Ribbon Work Corsages

I love flowers and gardens, I love to look at them and wear them all year long! I have created a few classes and patterns using different ribbon-work techniques.

Afternoon Tea Brooch
Create a feminine brooch from a variety of ribbons, which include: velvet, vintage grosgrains, French jacquards, moire, dyed silk bias. Some beads were used for further embellishment.

Blooming Ribbons
In this pattern you will learn to create some traditional ribbon flowers and leaves and some newly created styles. The possibilities for design and decoration are endless. Make samples of techniques or turn your flowers into an incredible necklace, brooch, purse, or pillow adornment. The finished pieces are completed with ingenious beaded edgings.

Button Nosed Pansy
Learn how to make a pansy with a button center and a beaded edge. Good class or pattern for someone who wants to complete a project in one day!





Cloche Rose
Luscious ruffles of French wire taffeta ribbon are used both for the rose and the leaf. This is a beautiful, large and proud flower that will look stunning on a hat or purse.

One Hour Flower Corsage
This is a great beginning ribbon project to work on. Once you make one you won't want to stop, so be for warned! Learn the very basics of working with wired ribbon by making a gathered rosette with button center and a leaf.

Corsage Medley
Creative and exquisite group of corsages made from velvet and wire ribbons. Chose from three different corsages:
Free Love Corsage: components are 1960" Daisy and Bleeding Heart Leaf
Mc Murtry's Lapel Pin: Lilly, Gwen's Butterfly, and 1920's Leaf
Summer's Signature Corsage: Sunflower, Shadow Leaf and Bow Tie Butterfly.

Happy stitching, enjoy!

Ocean Rivers Bracelet 2- free form peyote

Ocean Rivers Sample 2:This is a sample of the class that I just finished teaching for Joggles.com.
The first sample was created in blues and purples. The stitching technique is one that I developed using free-form peyote on fabric.
The class was a success, and all of the students created marvelous examples of this creative embellishment technique.
I will be teaching two classes for the fall session, one will focus on ribbon work, one will be an art doll, so keep checking back for updates!
Happy stitching, enjoy!

Silk Ribbon Embroidery combined with Ribbonworked Flowers

Silk Ribbon Embroidery is one of my favorite forms of handwork, and adding in a bouquet of ribbon- worked flowers just seems so natural!

I have created a few classes and patterns using this technique. These projects are focused primarily on silk ribbon embroidery with additional flowers made from ribbon worked flowers.
(If you click the link it will take you to the page, where you will find information on the class or pattern for the instructions.)

A Walk Through My Flower Garden
The fabric base machine quilted with metallic threads. Machine stitched ribbons form a trellis; silk bias ribbon forms the "walk" or path for the floral motifs.
The "enchanted gardens" of silk and rayon ribbons and fabric flowers and leaves are stitched first, then attached to the fabric base. The vignettes are embroidered with smaller flowers and leaves stitched with silk ribbon embroidery, Brazilian embroidery and traditional free form embroidery techniques.

Afternoon Tea Brooch
Create a feminine brooch from a variety of ribbons, which include: velvet, vintage grosgrain's, French Jacquards, moire, dyed silk bias. Some beads were used for further embellishment.

Beribboned
The base fabric is first stitched with playful grids of randomly placed satin ribbons. These sections can then be embellished with hand dyed lace appliques resembling vignettes of baskets.
These baskets are filled with silk and satin ribbon worked flowers and leaves; further embellished with silk ribbon and traditional embroidery stitches and beading.

Elegant Additions Wall Hanging
The sample is comprised of 9 squares full of extraordinary examples of silk ribbon embroidery. Click on the image for a full page image of a larger image, then click on each square for a larger image still.
Embroidery knowledge is a must for this class. Seven stitches are a prerequisite for the twenty or more stitches that will be needed to complete the wall hanging: lazy daisy, French knot, stem stitch, straight stitch, pistil stitch, feather stitch, buttonhole stitch.
All the components and the designs can be adapted to a current crazy pieced or quilted project that you are working on.

Floral Brooches
Embellish a special piece of tapestry or silk with a few artfully placed flowers and embroidery stitches. The pattern includes directions for three different brooch shapes: a heart, paisley or tableau.
Beads and charms will add just the right touch to make this a contemporary piece of jewelry. You may be tempted to make one of each!

Silk Ribbon Embroidered Etui
Etui is French for "small ornamental case", and the one you will make with this pattern will hold your favorite needles, pins, and scissors in a size convenient enough to travel with. You'll be able to showcase these needle working skills on its cover: applique, ribbon-work, silk ribbon embroidery, traditional embroidery, beading on fabric.

Scrumptious Scraps
Bits and pieces of precious laces are melded and stitched together to form a single fabric. After the lace fabric is formed, it is then dyed, along with ribbons to embellish the piece with. The second part of the class will focus on silk ribbon embroidery and flower making, using the ribbons that you dyed in the first part of class and the base of lace fabric.

Vintage Redressed
This is a perfect venue for all of those vintage trims and buttons you have been saving to recycle onto wonderful.
The body of the vest is pieced in sections of woven ribbon and fabric. The body of the vest is embellished with silk ribbon embroidery, buttons and beads.

Happy stitching, enjoy what you do and the time that you have to create!

Crazy Piecing with Traditional Embroidery and Beading

I have been embellishing shirts, jeans and jackets with Traditional Embroidery from the age of six. Once I learned to sew, I had my mom's fabric stash to work with which was full of tiny bits of exotic fabrics, cottons and velveteens. Crazy Piecing these bits of this and that really appeals to my sense of use what you have on hand. Incorporating beads just seemed to be a natural addition to this form.

I have created a few classes and patterns using this technique.
(If you click the link it will take you to the page, where you will find information on the class or pattern for the instructions.)

Avonlea Revisited
I have a unique technique for preparing the crazy pieced sections. The basic technique of stitch and flip fabric-piecing method, will be covered along with a few tricks on getting yourself out of those difficult situations. A pieced fabric fan and fabric yo-yos will be demonstrated to further enhance your work. Traditional crazy-pieced embroidery using contemporary threads, with bead and button.

Beginning Embroidery with Bead Embellishment: BEBE
This is a great introduction class to crazy pieced traditional embroidery stitches. The fabric base is prepared at home, so class time is devoted to learning the stitches.
The base can be crazy pieced, or ironed onto a piece of muslin on a pre- printed crazy pieced square which is available through the store.
The stitches that are learned in class are traditional embroidery stitches that can be used in many projects. Beads can be added for extra embellishment.
Crazy Piecing 101
This class will guide you into a part of history where every precious snip of fabric, lace, and trim were important. The end result is a ravishing display of the crazy pieced square that can be turned into a pillow, wall hanging or if you are more a quilt. This class will prepare you for the classes with more advanced techniques that also include embroidery and beading.

Tied in Knots
Tied in knots -- that's the definition of tatting! Tatting is a lace comprised of a series of knots. Loops (referred to as picots) and chains are added for design interest.The project is a shuttle holder that is crazy pieced and embroidered with silk ribbon and threads.The tatted motifs are added into the embroidered design.

Travel Sewing Kit
This is a handy carrying case for needles, scissors, rulers and more. The face of the kit is crazy pieced with machine stitching and hand embroidery. The inside of the case has many compartments for all of the necessities. It is a perfect size to take on a trip or to classes.

Victorian Drawstring Purse
This opulent reticule, pieced from lustrous scraps of iridescent silk and cotton, is embroidered front and back with shimmering metallic threads, seed beads, buttons, and charms.
The techniques covered in project are crazy piecing by machine, hand embroidery with bead embellishment.

Happy stitching to you whether you are a crazy stitcher or a sane one!