Happiest of Mother’s Day to you all!

In these posts I want to share some of my favorite pieces, which will include wall hangings, small works, pillows, purses, and just because pieces. This piece is from my book, Creative Embroidery, Mixing the Old with the New, by C&T Publishing.

This wallhanging started with handkerchiefs that belonged to three generations, my grandmother, my mother and myself. The hankies are collage-pieced together with small bits of vintage floral and feed sack fabrics from the 1940’s, and newer floral prints from my first job, working at Woof and Warp Fabrics Torrance, CA.

I included satin and jacquard ribbons, cotton laces, appliques and trims. Embellishments include tatted and crochet flowers that were made by both myself and my mom, ribbonwork and rickrack flowers and leaves, fabric yo-yo’s, fabric flowers and heart shaped appliques. There are vintage and new plastic, celluloid, and glass buttons and charms.

The fourth generation, my daughter, who was and is very much loved by the previous three generations, is represented as the ladybug.

Happy Stitching and Happy Mother’s Day to you all! ~Christen

In these posts I want to share some of my favorite pieces, which will include wall hangings, small works, pillows, purses, and just because pieces. The piece below is a new piece that I just created, based on a Project by Design, called Hankies and Lace Collage, form my book Creative Embroidery, Mixing the Old with the New.

In the Pink: This piece started with four sections of a printed hanky, that had a lovely little scalloped edge. I paired this with four tea linens, vintage jacquard ribbon, cotton lace, a cotton applique and a vintage tatted applique. The center piece, was embroidered by a dear friend Gloria Mckinnon, and I held onto it, until I found just the right project to use it in. I sprinkled vignettes of silk ribbon embroidery, throughout the piece.

Materials Used:

• Silk Embroidery Ribbons: 2mm, 4mm, and 7mm
• Perle Cotton: #8 and #12; tatting cotton
• Embellishments: Glass seed beads and charms, vintage sequins, and vintage buttons

Embroidery Details:

• Border Row Stitches: Blanket stitch, blanket stitch up and down, blanket and chain stitch, and chain stitch
• Detail Stitch: Lazy daisy stitch, French knot stitch, and straight stitch
• Silk Embroidery Stitches: Woven rose stitch, woven rose stitch variation, Ellen Matilda’s rose stitch, French knot bud stitch, ribbon stitch, lazy daisy stitch, and French knot stitch
• Beaded Embroidery Stitches: Single bead stitch, stacked bead stitch

Want to learn more about embroidery, and specifically silk ribbon embroidery?

I will be the keynote speaker for the Creative Spark, EMBROIDERY EXTRAVAGANZA! I will also be teaching a class on SILK RIBBON EMBROIDERY.

If you click on the link, you will receive $20.00 off the price of the four hour event.

Happy Stitching to you all! ~Christen

In these posts I want to share some of my favorite pieces, which will include wall hangings, small works, pillows, purses, and just because pieces. The piece below was also featured in a blog post that I wrote for C&T Publishing, promoting my book Creative Embroidery, Mixing the Old with the New. It is a take-off on one of the Projects by Design, called Ribbons and Trims Squared.

Autumn Ribbons and Lace: This piece started with a piece of green silk fabric, which I collage-pieced with vintage jacquard ribbons and lengths of vintage lace. I sprinkled vignettes of silk ribbon embroidery and vintage buttons throughout the piece. The stitches are worked in 2mm, 4mm, and 7mm silk ribbon embroidery, and #8 and #12 perle cotton. Embellishments include, vintage celluloid and glass buttons, glass seed beads and glass charms.

Embroidery Details:

• Border Row Stitches: Single feather stitch, chain stitch, chain stitch double, and stem stitch
• Detail Stitch: Lazy daisy stitch, French knot stitch, and pistil stitch
• Silk Embroidery Stitches: Woven rose stitch, woven rose stitch variation, Ellen Matilda’s rose stitch, French knot bud stitch, ribbon stitch, padded straight stitch, lazy daisy stitch, and French knot stitch
• Beaded Embroidery Stitches: Single bead stitch, stacked bead stitch

Want to learn more about embroidery, and specifically silk ribbon embroidery?

I will be the keynote speaker for the Creative Spark, EMBROIDERY EXTRAVAGANZA! I will also be teaching a class on SILK RIBBON EMBROIDERY.

If you click on the link, you will receive $20.00 off the price of the four hour event.

Happy Stitching to you all! ~Christen

In these posts I want to share some of my favorite pieces, which will include wall hangings, small works, pillows, purses, and just because pieces.

My Crazy Valentine: This piece started with an embroidered heart, that had been a greeting card, stitched by my mom. I crazy-pieced around the center section with two different colors of green silk fabric. I framed the center section with two strips of a lovely vintage edging and insertion laces. I hand-stitched ribbonwork flowers from an ombre ribbon, and sprinkled these in vignettes throughout the piece. The stitches are worked in silk ribbon embroidery, and perle cotton. Embellishments include vintage mother-of-perle buttons, glass beads, metal and glass charms.

Materials Used:

• Silk Embroidery Ribbon: 2mm, 4mm, 7mm
• Perle Cotton: #8, #12
• Cotton Floss: 2 or 3 strands
• Woven ribbon
• Embellishments: vintage mother-of-pearl buttons, glass seed beads, and glass and metal charms

Embroidery Details:

• Border Row Stitches: Modern fern stitch, feather stitch, stem stitch, and couched ribbon stitch
• Detail Stitch: Lazy daisy stitch, French knot stitch
• Silk Embroidery Stitches: Woven rose stitch, rosette stitch, ruched rose stitch, ribbon stitch, lazy daisy stitch, and French knot stitch
• Beaded Embroidery Stitches: Single bead stitch, stacked bead stitch

Want to learn more about embroidery, and specifically silk ribbon embroidery?

I will be the keynote speaker for the Creative Spark, EMBROIDERY EXTRAVAGANZA! I will also be teaching a class on SILK RIBBON EMBROIDERY.

If you click on the link, you will receive $20.00 off the price of the four hour event.

Happy Stitching to you all! ~Christen

In these posts I want to share some of my favorite pieces, which will include wall hangings, small works, pillows, purses, and just because pieces. The piece below is featured in my book, Creative Embroidery, Mixing the Old with the New.

Lace and Rose Finery: This piece started with a piece of floral linen fabric, that had soft colors in beige, rose, and green. I collage-pieced a collection of very lovely, fine, bits of exquisite vintage lace. This collection of lace was given to me by my sister-in-laws mother’s husband, which had belonged to his mother, Evonne.

Materials Used:

• Silk Embroidery Ribbon: 2mm, 4mm, 7mm
• Perle Cotton: #8, #12
• Cotton Floss: 2 or 3 strands
• Embellishments: vintage glass and metal buttons, glass seed and bugle beads, and glass charms

Embroidery Details:

• Border Row Stitches: Blanket stitch, blanked stitch up and down, blanket stitch knotted, stem stitch, and chain stitch
• Vines: Feather stitch with lazy daisy stitches, feather stitch with French knot stitches, and chain stitch with lazy daisy stitches
• Decorative and Detail Stitches: Lazy daisy stitch, fly stitch, and French knot stitch
• Silk Embroidery Stitches: Woven rose stitch, woven rose variation stitch, old rose stitch, rosette stitch, French knot bud stitch, ruched rose stitch, pointed petal stitch, ribbon stitch, lazy daisy stitch, and French knot stitch
• Beaded Embroidery Stitches: Single bead stitch, stacked bead stitch

Want to learn more about embroidery, and specifically silk ribbon embroidery?

I will be the keynote speaker for the Creative Spark, EMBROIDERY EXTRAVAGANZA! I will also be teaching a class on SILK RIBBON EMBROIDERY.

If you click on the link, you will receive $20.00 off the price of the four hour event.

Happy Stitching to you all! ~Christen

In these posts I want to share some of my favorite pieces, which will include wall hangings, small works, pillows, purses, and just because pieces. Here is a collection of 3 pillows and 1 small wallhanging. I am calling this grouping “Easter Parade”, because the colors remind me of dyeing eggs with food coloring, candy coated almonds, and jelly beans!

Marie Antoinette’s Boudoir Pillows: These two pillows are both strip-pieced with the same striped and solid colored silk fabrics. Both pillows include a beautiful vintage jacquard ribbon, and pillow B also includes a few pieces of vintage silk lace. Both pillows are worked in silk ribbon embroidery stitches, lots and lots of silk ribbon embroidery stitches. The stitches were worked in silk embroidery ribbon sizes 2mm, 4mm, 7mm, and cotton and silk embroidery threads.

Colors of Spring Silk Pillow: This pillow was crazy strip- pieced with the same striped and solid colored silk fabrics as the first two pillows, with additional solid colored silk fabrics. The embroidery is worked over the seams, with vignettes sprinkled throughout the pillow. The stitches were worked in silk embroidery ribbon sizes 2mm, 4mm, 7mm, and cotton and silk embroidery threads.

Charlottes’ Webs: This wallhanging was pieced together with the left-over scraps from the first three pieces. I pieced sections of small bits together onto a foundation of muslin. I re-assembled these strips onto a base of cotton batting, then placed and stitched lengths of satin ribbon to cover the raw edges of the strips. The stitches were worked in silk embroidery ribbon sizes 2mm, 4mm, 7mm in vignettes, and include ribbonwork rosettes. Additional stitches were worked in cotton and silk embroidery threads, and include vintage mother-of-pearl buttons and charms; glass beads, buttons, and charms.

Want to learn more about embroidery, and specifically silk ribbon embroidery?

I will be the keynote speaker for the Creative Spark, EMBROIDERY EXTRAVAGANZA! I will also be teaching a class on SILK RIBBON EMBROIDERY.

If you click on the link, you will receive $20.00 off the price of the four hour event.

Happy Stitching to you all! ~Christen