Embroidered Ribbon Tulips

Embroidery doesn't have to be done using specific patterns. This tutorial shows you how a few simple stitches, combined with ribbon instead of thread or embroidery floss, can quickly create some flowers. For this tulip I used ribbon about 1/4" wide, and made 3 straight stitches. I finished by back stitching some quick stems.

Start a single tulip by pulling your ribbon through the fabric from back to front.

After completing the first stitch, you will start the second stitch by passing back through your starting hole (again back to front). You will want to make this stitch about as long as the first, you will want to complete your second stitch to make a "V" shape on your fabric.

You complete the tulip by again stitching through your original hole and ending your stitch between the other 2 stitches. I generally make this center stitch a little longer than the other two.

Once your flowers are done, add in some simple stems. You can draw out your stems beforehand if you need a guide or try to freehand them.

Embroidery How To: Chain Stitch

Welcome back everyone! Here is another great embroidery stitch for you to try out, Chain Stitch! This stitch is great for outlining when you want a more decorative look than a straight or back stitch. It's also really easy to do, and once you practice a little it isn't too difficult to get a chain stitch that looks quite uniform.

I was feeling a little fancy for this tutorial and wanted to try out some metallic thread. This is a very fine braid metallic thread from Kreinik Threads, and it great for hand embroidery (but it would also work in a machine).

Next, I traced a curvy line onto my fabric. Chain stitch is great because it easily goes around curves as well as straight lines, while still looking uniform and flowing well in your work. If you are just starting out, you may just want to try a straight line as a stitch sample, but I would definitely recommend trying out some curves as well.

Start your stitch by pulling your thread through your fabric back to front, as shown in the image above.

Next, you will complete a single chain "loop" by pushing your needle back through the fabric at your initial starting point (or very close to it), and bringing the needle back up through the fabric at point 3- a little farther down your pattern or practice line. Pull your thread taught, but not too tight, to create a nice little loop! Now step 3 in the diagram above becomes the beginning of your next loop. Continue on until you have finished your practice line.

On the final chain loop, you will pass your needle back through the fabric from front to back securing your chain "loop" and be able to tie off the thread or weave it in neatly.

What stitches would you like to see next?


Threads for this post were provided by Kreinik Threads. Manufactured in Parkersburg, WV.

Embroidery How To: Cross Stitch

This installment of the embroidery tutorial series is Cross Stitch. I really like cross stitching because you don't need to transfer your design directly to the fabric, you can follow a printed or on screen pattern that is blocked out in the different colors you are using (basically like looking at a pixelated image or 8-bit video game graphic). This tutorial shows how to make a single Cross Stitch, as well as how to do several same-colored stitches in a row.

First, cross stitch is generally done on a specific cross stitch fabric , as show above. The weave of these fabrics makes it easy to see perfect squares, and the corners of these squares, where your stitches will start and end.

Start your stitch by pulling the needle through your fabric at one of the little corner holes, back to front (as shown above). It doesn't matter of you start at the top or bottom, as long as you keep your stitches uniform (if you start in the top corner, start all of your stitches in the top corner). This helps keep the back neat and avoid extra knotting while you stitch.

Next, complete the first part of your stitch by passing your needle through the hole located diagonal from your starting corner.

This will give you the fist part of your cross stitch (a diagonal line) as shown above.

To complete your single cross stitch, you will make another diagonal stitch that crosses over the first. As most cross stitch patterns don't have a lot of floating single stitches, you will generally work in lines of stitches instead. This process is shown below.

As you can see in the photo above, when making a row of stitches, you make the first diagonal stitch of your cross all the way down the line before making the second crossed stitch. This helps for a couple of reasons: it keeps the back of your work looking neater, and it help you to be able to quickly and easily count your stitches in your pattern.

I work my stitch lines from left to right initially, so when I make the "cross" stitch going back I work right to left. This makes it so you start and end in about the same place. You can then either tie a know and cut your ends, or weave the ends into your back stitches neatly.

Above you can see the back side of my row of stitches, a nice neat row of parallel stitches with my edges ready to be tied or weaved.

Cross stitch is a great stitch for making items like this, and you can easily use patterns from Perler beads to create sewn items instead. Cross stitch is also great to use with plastic canvas to make ornaments.

Embroidery How To: Straight Stitch

Straight Stitch is probably one of the most basic stitches, and is perfect for anyone just starting out with embroidery. I also find that this stitch can be great for simple embellishments on tea towels, placemats, etc to make something plain a little bit special.

An embroidery hoop is definitely not necessary for doing this stitch, I just found it helped me take neater looking photos, feel free to practice this on your own without the hoop. The split stitch, or running stitch, is made by sewing a straight line, with stitches of even length. You also want to make sure the negative space between your stitches is about the same length throughout. I often weave my needle through the fabric for several stitches before actually pulling the thread through, so this stitch can make you feel like you are getting a lot done very quickly!

After weaving the needle through your fabric, pull it through and voila! A neat little row of straight stitches appears! If you have a little beginner that wants to try out some stitching themselves, this is a great starting stitch. I'll be posting some cute projects that use straight stitch this weekend to give you ideas on what this basic little stitch can do!

Embroidery How To: Split Stitch

It has been awhile since my last embroidery tutorial, but here is a new stitch for you to try out- the Split Stitch!

Split stitch is another great stitch to use for embroidering lines or outlining shapes in your embroidery work. Start by pulling your thread through your fabric from back to front.

Next, you will close your stitch by sewing back through your fabric from front to back. It is important to choose the length of your stitches carefully, you want to make sure to keep individual stitches as uniform as possible (I generally like a shorter stitch, but each project varies).

Then, make your second stitch by pushing your needle up through the center of your first stitch, splitting the first stitch with your second. You want to split the stitch both lengthwise and widthwise (6 strand embroidery floss is necessary as you can easily keep 3 strands on each side of your needle while stitching, and you must be able to pull your stitches through your floss). Continue along your pattern (or just freehand straight lines for practice) and continue making equal length stitches for a uniform look.

Your stitch will end up looking like a small braid (it resembles a mini chain stitch--coming soon). This is a great option for people who find something like backstitch to look too plain in their work.

DIY: Paint Chip Art Journal

I started a series on Art Journaling awhile ago. Then we moved into a new apartment and I kind of let that fade away without getting to some of the finer points. Consider this my attempt at trying to rectify that somewhat. Here you will see how you can turn a stack of just about anything (in this case, sample paint chips) into a bright shiny new art journal.

To make this style of journal you will need:

A stack of old paint chips, or any kind of old paper/cardstock (playing cards would work very well)
a hole punch
binder rings

That's it! Start by deciding where you want your holes punched, and use one card to make a template. You can use this for punching all of your holes in your cards in the same place, simply line up your template on top of your unpunched cards (I only do a few at a time) and punch your holes in the same spot as the original. Then, secure your book together with the binder rings. The thing I love about this style of journal is you can start small with smaller rings, and then if you decide to add more pages later, just graduate to a larger sized ring and add more pages as needed. It also makes it easy to remove a page without tearing anything out. Binder rings...another office supply I like way too much. :)

One great thing about paint chips, is if you are having some trouble thinking of something to draw/write/etc. in your journal, each color has some fancy name that you can use as a jumping off point. Maybe you will draw a tropical lagoon on the card aptly labeled "tropical lagoon", maybe you will decide to make a collage of items in a certain colorway on another page to match (or contrast!). Also, while you can find paint chips in many sizes, most are very manageable as far as fitting a finished book into your pocket or bag to carry around with you everywhere you go. :)


I save everything, so I had a large number of paint chips on hand. If you don't but would like to make this project, ask at a local hardware supply store if you can take some paint chip samples without buying paint. Other options you could use are: playing cards, the fronts of old greeting cards/thank you notes, scrap cardstock pieces from old projects, cut up cereal boxes, etc.

Criss Cross Bouquet Tying

If you liked yesterday's post on the basics of tying a bouquet you may be interested in this, only slightly more difficult way to embellish your bouquet. This criss cross method uses a second color of ribbon to add some extra color and style to your bouquet. Start the same way you did for the basic bouquet, but before adding your pins you will add in your second ribbon.

I started with a 2.5 yard piece of purple ribbon and pinned it in the middle to my base ribbon. Then you wrap each side around the stems crossing each other as you go.

Rather than pinning a straight line down the back of this bouquet variation, I chose to only pin in the center of each crossing section on the back of my bouquet (this will be facing the person holding the bouquet).

The front of the bouquet is finished at the bottom, by tying a bow where your ribbon ends cross. If you choose, you can leave the ribbon ends as long as you like or trim them shorter. I think leaving the extra long ends has a luxurious feel to it, so I typically don't trim them off.

As with all bouquets, this one is finished off by trimming all of your stems to the same length.

Basic Bouquet Tying Technique

This may be what we think of when the word "bouquet" comes to mind. If you have wedding plans in the mix, though, you may be just as concerned with ways to tie your bouquet! This is a tutorial for a very basic way to tie and wrap your bouquet to create the lovely handle seen below.

This handle is simple in that it is simply overlapping ribbon with some decorative corsage pins inserted in a line down the back.

Here are some supplies you may find helpful in doing this tutorial yourself: Ribbon, floral tape, scissors, corsage pins, and floral wire (you will of course, also need a lovely bouquet of flowers).

To start, arrange your bouquet in any way you most prefer. For this tutorial I used real flowers, but I love the versatility of using paper flowers with wire stems, so be sure to check back for a tutorial that is more specific to handmade flowers with wire stems later on. You will want to remove most of the leaves on the stems that are located where you will be making your handle. Leaving the stems on makes a lumpy surface for tying your ribbon.

Once you have your flowers arranged, tightly wrap your stems together with floral tape. This will hold your bouquet together tightly and be a good "canvas" for your decorative finish. If necessary, you can use a piece of floral wire, or some rubber bands to hold your stems together while you tape them tightly.

I recommend taping your stems as far down as you plan on wrapping your ribbon, as you can see above. At this point, you can trim the bottoms of your stems to an even length, or you can wait until you are all done with your pins and ribbon. Just make sure that your final piece has stems that are all one length, or your finished bouquet will look a little sloppy.

Now you are ready to wrap your ribbon around your stems. I generally start by using a piece of waterproof tape and taping the end of my ribbon up at the top of my stems and wrapping the ribbon downward. GO as slowly as you need, just try to wrap your ribbon tightly around the stems to avoid puckers and gaps. Once I get to the end of where I want my stems wrapped, I work my way back up to the top with a second layer of ribbon wrapping. This ensures a more even coverage and leaves you with both ribbon ends at the top of your bouquet. Since the bottom of your bouquet is most likely to be seen, it helps your finished look by having all ends at the top.

Now, you will add your corsage pins. It isn't necessary to pin all the way down, but it can give a nice finished look. TO space evenly, I lined up my pin tips with the tip of the leaf in front of it. It can take some practice to get a straight line (I'm not used to using shaped pins, so as you can see mine could use a little work). If you are just starting out, simple pearl corsage pins are easiest to line up.

Voila! Here is a bouquet all tied and pinned! You can use any color and width of ribbon you prefer, along with any color and shape of pins you can find. If this seems a little plain for your taste, be sure to check back over the next couple weeks as I will be giving tutorials on several ways to embellish your bouquet handles, and different materials you can use for tying them all up.

Art Journaling: Supplies

I know a lot of people who list journaling as something they'd like to do. Sometimes it is even a New Year's resolution. These same people usually talk, at length of how they started out pretty well, but eventually puttered out. Maybe "dear diary" journal writing just isn't your style! With one successful series behind me (on embroidery techniques) I have decided that March will be the month of the art journal! There will be lots of other projects too, but for those of you interested in journaling, and specifically art journaling: get ready for some awesome ideas, tips and tricks to make this a successful year (or month at least) in keeping a journal.

I have compiled this little list of supplies that you may want so you can follow along in March with all the great journal ideas I have for you!

To start, you will need the journal itself. I typically opt for some sort of sketchbook. To make it something I use more regularly, a small size that can fit easily into any bag, purse, etc is key for me. I also like my journals to have a coiled wire binding. This way, I can fold the whole thing open and lay it flat on a table, hands free, if I paste in a recipe or project idea I want to look at while crafting/baking etc. later on. Don't limit yourself though, If you want to paste your ideas into an old book (I'm a fan of science type journals: botanical survey books can be great!) feel free. The beauty of an art journal is you can be as free with it as you like! Just have some kind of book. You can even hole punch paper and use loose binder rings to fasten it together as you go (great if you like using varieties of paper for different media--you can insert watercolor paper just as easily as graph paper or copy paper).

Next, and especially if you have had trouble sticking to any kind of journaling in the past, find supplies that make you WANT to journal. I found these great woodless colored pencils the other day and I can't wait to use them!

I also typically have gel pens in several colors around the house, I love the way they feel in my hand when I write, so I want to write a lot! I also recommend making yourself a decorative (as well as protective) book cover. I like to use felt or other fabrics, in bright colors. Keep your journal where you will see it and the bright color will draw your eye and remind you to pick it up and write! SO pick out a fabric, felt or decorative paper you would like to see on your cover (you can also recycle the cover of an old hardcover book from a flea market if you'd like).

Have a large stack of magazines you have been meaning to get rid of, but you just can't bring yourself to do it because you know there was something in there you had to keep? Well, flip through them, tear out the things you wanted to keep and save them aside. We'll be adding these to your journal in several fun ways :)

Pick out at least one art or craft supply that you have never used before but would like to try. I purchased some stickers and my first roll of Washi tape the other day at collage and plan on using some of the tape to embellish pages throughout my journal. This is a great time to get a sample set of oil pastels, paints, stamps, stencils, etc and try them out!

Have a variety of papers to incorporate. I always get scrap book paper and cardstock when I find it on sale. Often, I have so much I don't know what to do with it: Embellish pages in your journal, make envelopes to add to pages as pockets, cut out fun shapes and more!


Some optional supplies you may want:

markers
graph paper (especially handy for quilters/embroidery buffs)
various glues
rulers
scissors
crayons
pencil sharpener
binder clips (make some fancy ones like these!)
paper punches (edge and corner punches can make your finished journal look extra cute with decorative edges)
Ribbon (decorate pages or use it as a bookmark)
tape
stickers
stamps
ink pads
paints
paint brushes
Buttons, velcro, etc to make a closure on your cover (there will be tutorials on this stuff later)
needles and thread (you can sew paper too!)

Gather up your supplies and get ready for some fun! Tutorials start on March 1st!