Embroidery makes a fun comeback
EMBROIDERY has always been a fun but exacting pastime, so when we came across this novel way of doing it, we just had to share it with you our readers, as it’s even more fun but less pernickety; less fastidious than the regular method the mothers of yore insisted their daughters learn so as to make them the well-rounded young ladies and ultimately the wives they were grooming them to become.
It’s called ribbon embroidery (though some call it silk-ribbon embroidery), and all it takes to master the art is learning but five basic stitches, namely: Straight, ribbon, stem, lazy daisy, and the French knot.
But first, there’s the little matter of threading the needle, which is quite an art in itself as there’s a particular way of doing it so the ribbon can be held in place.  You also need to have the right needle, and that’s a chenille needle which is the type used to do ribbon embroidery. If you follow the instructions and diagram below, you will get the hang of it. 

Threading the needle

Use a 12 to 14-inch length of ribbon.
Step one: Slip the ribbon through the needle.
Step two: Pierce the ribbon ½ inch from the end.
Pull the length of the ribbon through to lock it on the needle.

That done, you’re now ready for the big league, which is learning the five basic stitches, starting with the Straight Stitch:

Using 4mm-wide silk ribbon preferably, and any tight even-weave fabric, such as silk, linen, cotton brocade, velvet, or denim:
(a) Bring needle up at Point A (as illustrated in the diagram) and pull it through, then
(b) Insert it down at Point B (about ¼ inch from A) and pull it through. Repeat as often as you wish, using Point A as your starting point, and see where it leads you.  

After you think you have mastered the ‘Straight Stitch’, you might like to try the Ribbon Stitch:

(a) Bring needle up at Point A (as in diagram), and pull it through; then
(b) With ribbon flat on fabric, insert needle at Point B (see diagram), piercing the ribbon, and  slowly pull it through. The ribbon will now curl where the needle was inserted, so don’t pull on it too tightly or you’ll lose the effect. To vary the curl, pierce the ribbon to the right or left of centre to see what effect it will have.

Next comes the Stem Stitch:

(a) Same as before, bring needle up at Point A, and pull it through. Next,
(b) Insert needle at Point B, about ½ inch from A, then, holding ribbon below your stitching line, bring needle back up at Point C (see diagram), about 1/8 inch from B, and pull it through. Continue in the same manner, making sure the ribbon is always held below the stitching line.

That done, we now move on to the French Knot:

(a) Bring needle up at Point A, the point where the knot is desired (see diagram), and pull it through. Then,
(b) holding the needle parallel to the fabric (again, see diagram), wrap ribbon around it two to three times, before inserting the tip at Point B (see diagram), a thread or two from Point A. Now, gently slide wrapped ribbon down the needle to meet the fabric, and pull the needle and trailing ribbon through. Whew! That sure was tricky, wasn’t it!

Finally, we’re ready to tackle Madame Lazy Daisy!

(a) Again, bring needle up at Point A, and pull through. Next,
(b) form a loop of ribbon on the fabric surface, and, holding the loop in place, insert  needle at Point B, a thread of two away from Point A. Then, bring needle tip out at Point C and cross it over the trailing ribbon, keeping ribbon as flat as possible. Now, gently pull needle and trailing ribbon through, until the loop lies flat against the fabric. Lastly, push needle through to the back at Point D to secure loop.
Practise these five stitches until we meet again next week, when we will throw in two others for good measure, and bring you a beautiful project to work on. And, just in case you feel the need to touch base with us, you may do so by sending us an e-mail: lindford2004@yahoo.com