Please Help Me! Silk Ribbon Embroidery
shalimar | Posted in General Discussion on
Just have gotten around to trying to learn to do silk ribbon embroidery. I can knit, sew, embroider and generally am pretty handy, but this has me in a tizz! The silk ribbon keeps folding over itself and the result is that I have a thin line of silk ribbon on the face of my work…how do I keep it flat like the pattern pictures show? I have tried to hold each stitch with one finger while I pull the ribbon thru, but this is so slow I will never get done. Any advise would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks to all.
Edited 5/29/2005 11:38 pm ET by shalimar
Replies
on the silk ribbion try using a stilletto or another needle to help lay the ribbion flat... remember also that silk ribbion is not like regular embroidery.. you need to give the ribbion a little slack and so it can bounce up and look 3D... practice first with it ... it will make great designs... and if you don't like the straight stitch try using the japanese split stitch ... just remember give it some slack... not too tight
You'll also want to be sure you haven't twisted the needle - which will give you a certain look you might want in another area. Be sure that the needle & ribbon aren't twisted before you put the needle down into the fabric, then pull the needle through (perhaps more slowly than you were pulling before).
Meg
Thanks to all of you who offered suggestions...I can't wait to get back and try again!
I did hundreds of hours of silk ribbon embroidery on my daughter's wedding dress. Perhaps you are using too small a needle or too wide a ribbon. Different widths will give you different effects. And I agree with the suggestion that you may be pulling it too tight and flat against the fabric. Nothing is prettier than silk ribbon embroidery. Please keep trying.
Thank you! I will try a bigger needle as I am not pulling it tight at all, but keeping it loose and flowing. The tibbon seems to start out fine, but then when I have taken maybe 6 or so stitches it will start to get smaller and fold onto itself as I pull into the next stitch. perhaps my needle is not allowing it to stay flat. Thanks for your encouragement!!
Sometimes the ribbon gets scrunched up as it pulls through the fabric. You can wiggle the hole just a tiny bit looser, but not too much or the stitches won't be held stable. Use your thumb and index fingertips to flatten out the ribbon once its pulled through and before you poke the needle back into the fabric. Make an extra effort to flatten it just above the hole where it is gathered tightly. Each pull scrunches it more so that is probably why you're finding this getting worse as you go along. How long a length of ribbon are you working with? Shorter lengths will be less stressed by all the friction and squeezing. I usually work with 12 inch lengths. Do you iron your ribbons smoothe and flat before you start? I lightly mist and use a cool iron to make sure they're as flat as possible to begin with. Just a quick swipe with the iron tip usually does the trick.
Ah Ha...I am not ironing, and am using more than 12". I also thought it was like any other hand sewing, I realize now I must be slower and take more care with each stitch. Thank you so much for your advise!!
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