These three purses are from my vintage purse collection. All are embroidered with tambour embroidery, possibly French. Clockwise from the left:
Handbag with plunger clasp and chain handle: black moire silk with cream and pink roses and sage green leaves. Circa early 1900’s.
Handbag with double frame and cloth handle: black silk satin with light pink, deep pink, crimson, and mauve colored roses and olive green leaves. Circa early 1900’s.
Handbag that flips open flat with chain handle: black faille with pink, red, yellow and orange roses and olive green leaves.
Close-up view of vintage tambour embroidery
Tambour embroidery, introduced to the Western world by France, is a continuous worked chain stitch formed with a tambour hook, which forms a loop similar to a crochet chain. The stitch is formed on the fabric with the thread held underneath in one hand while the other hand inserts the hook down through the fabric to catch the thread. The needle is brought back through the same hole, forming a loop. The following stitches are formed a short distance from the previous stitch, catching the loop of the last stitch at the beginning of the next.
I found time to clean up the work room, and came across several small projects that have been waiting to be completed. So I hope to dedicate the next few months to completing some of these.
This is the first project, made from left-overs bits of this and that from a class that I teach, “Embellished Silk Treasures”.
The base is made from split silk cocoons, which were adhered to Lutrador, then machine embellished with gold threads. This was then embellished further with bits of painted vilene, fabric circles. A few embroidery and beading stitches enhance the components.
Embellished Silk Treasures is a wall hanging made from two different Silk Painter’s Hankies, 1 package of Painter’s Potpourri Thread Embellishment Packs. The base is made from split silk cocoons, which were adhered to Lutrador, then machine embellished with gold threads. This was then embellished further with bits of painted vilene, fabric circles, fiber beads, and ribbon pods. A few embroidery and beading stitches enhance the components.
This is a class that I just finished up teaching this week. This was a really fun class, where the student learned to work the embroidery stitches using a variety of threads such as pearl cotton; buttonhole twist; rayon and cotton floss on a fabric base that will be used as needle-case.
Some of the stitches used blended thread to create new colors and textures. The dimensional embroidery stitches that were covered were bullion knot, cast on buttonhole, drizzle, woven, whipped and tatted. Traditional stitches such as the buttonhole, chain stitch, feather stitch, feather stitch leaf, French knot, lazy daisy, pistol stitch and straight stitch were also covered.
There were many hours of stitching involved, but it is well worth the end results!
Friday’s Favorites (and every day for me) are silk ribbon embroidery projects that include ribbon worked flowers and leaves. This type of work incorporates two different techniques, embroidery with silk ribbon and flower or leaves stitched from ribbon. If you are unfamiliar with these techniques it can be confusing to identify one technique over the other.
In the above image I have used both silk ribbon embroidery and ribbon worked flowers made from silk habotai and silk satin ribbons. The base of this particular piece is composed of precious bits and pieces of lace that are stitched to a base of silk fabric, then dyed along with a few of the ribbons used for the flowers. The silk ribbon embroidery was stitched with 2mm, 4mm, and 7mm silk ribbon.
Marie’s Boudoir Pillow
This pillow is an example of silk ribbon embroidery. In this technique a needle (chenille) is threaded with silk ribbon, and is then stitched through the fabric to create the embroidered designs. All of the stitches were stitched with silk embroidery ribbon, in sizes 2mm, 4mm, 7mm, and 13mm, and silk buttonhole twist and stranded floss.
Violet Gardens
This brooch is an example of flowers and leaves made from ribbon. These ribbonworked flowers are stitched from ribbon in sizes 1/4″ to 5/8″, in a variety of styles and fiber content. Ribbonwork differs from embroidery because the individually stitched flowers are created by threading a needle with sewing thread, cutting the ribbon the exact length for each flower, then stitching the ribbon to form the flower. Each flower or leaf is then stitched in place with a needle and thread.
Elizabeth’s Garden
This is an example of a brooch that is embroidered with silk ribbon and silk threads, with a few ribbon worked flowers and leaves added to the top outside portion of the brooch. I have also incorporated a rococo trim around the outer edge of the brooch.
Summer Blossoms Purse
This purse is an example of silk ribbon embroidery on an embroidered silk fabric with silk dupioni fabric on the outer edges. One of the wonderful qualities of silk is that it takes the dye so beautifully, and is very vibrant, yet still feminine. What makes silk embroidery ribbon so lovely is that it is beautiful even when worked in the most basic stitches such as lazy daisy, straight, and French knot stitches.
Silk Gardens Purse
This purse appeared in the March/ April 2007 issue of PieceWork Magazine. I wrote an article on silk fabrics, and this piece was included as a project. Here I have combined both ribbonworked flowers and a few silk ribbon embroidered stitches.
I love to embroider, I was taught by my mom at the age of seven. I am happiest with a needle in my hand, and a few skeins of floss or pearl cotton.
This swatch is from the very first project that I used silk ribbon for embroidery, and I found that I love this equally as well. Though I must say after the cost of this first project we could no longer afford to send our daughter to college! (But she looks fabulous wearing this!)
The vest I made was for a silk ribbon embroidery class that I have taught for many years. I am happy to say that my mom was one of my first students! It was wonderful to give her something to enjoy as much as I enjoy all of the techniques that she has taught me through the years.
silk ribbon needle work set
One of the venues that I taught at was the American Quilter’s Society in Padukah, Kentucky. As a gift, (and so I looked put together for my class), my mom had made me an etui, scissor holder, and pin cushion that she had embroidered. She stitched the embroidery in my favorite colors, and I cherish this set.
The class did go well, I had 25 students, and each one left with new found skills, a love for silk ribbon and happy (thankfully!).
Happy day to you, take a moment to thank those who taught you a technique that you cherish, and enjoy! Christen
This was one of two entries for the Piecework Magazine’s Excellence in Needlework 2009. This year’s challenge was to make a brooch no larger than 3″, in any needle art category. I chose silk ribbon embroidery here and ribbon work for my other submission Violet Gardens.
The base of the brooch is a silk chambray fabric, which is covered in silk ribbon embroidery and a few ribbon worked flowers. The top center has two woven roses, with two rolled roses below these. A woven rose in the center and two carnations under the rolled rose.
The outer edge is covered in a rococo trim, with ribbon worked leaves that lead up to the top center with a another rolled rose and silk ribbon carnations.
back of brooch
The brooch was stitched to a padded cardboard base with the back covered in a piece of felt that I hand stitched to the silk front. I embroidered flowers through the holes in the pin back, and stitched in my initial for extra detailing.
This brooch is dedicated to our Elizabeth, who left her earthly body this year, but not our hearts. She was our 5 lb. Bengal kitty, who love all of these colors, fabrics and ribbons. Often I would find her nestled in the basket that held the components for this brooch, purring contentedly. Kitty kisses dear one.
Happy stitching, love what you do and those silent “mewses” who love you back! Christen
PS: Both of my entries were selected by the judges to be included in a display of the brooches at The National Needle Arts Association’s trade show in Columbus, Ohio, June 13-15, 2009. They were on display at the Embroiderer’s Guild of America’s (EGA) museum in Louisville, Kentucky, July 1 through September 23, 2009.
When I first pieced the fabric for this pillow it was origionally to be a purse, but then I decided I would be able to look at it more often if it were a pillow. I cut a plain fabric for the back, the other half of the purse has already been posted.
The entire pillow is made from silk, excluding the vintage jacquard ribbon (and the stuffing). The striped and solid color fabrics, the embroidery ribbons and thread.
The embroidery ingredients are:
2mm, 4mm, and 7mm silk ribbon
silk rococo trim was used for embellishments
several colors of buttonhole twist and floss
The embroidery stitches I used include:
straight stitch
chain stitch
woven rose
twisted posey
wrapped posey
lazy daisy
bullion tipped lazy daisy
ribbon stitch
colonial knot
French knot
Chinese Knot
straight stitch w/ bullion tipped lazy daisy
I just love working with silk ribbon because it is so elegant and feminine and I feel that I am a part of history: where the ladies were beautifully dressed and demure and the gentlemen noble and well mannered…. another time and place!
This is a collaged montage of a few of the embroidered sections from my Victoriana vest. This vest is shown here in it’s second incarnation. The original was a solid piece of fabric with the manipulated ribbon work sections, lace sections, and ribbon embroidery, similar to The Edwardian, and was the original sample for Vintage Redressed pattern. Sadly the vest had an accident with the iron, and several sections of ribbon work melted! Yikes!
So I cut out the sections that I could save, found a compatible fabric to the original, and crazy pieced the front sections with the saved embroidery, and simplified the back by just using the dyed lace pieces, buttons and beads.
The silk ribbon embroidery sections were worked with 2mm, 4mm, and 7mm silk ribbon, vintage ombre ribbon, and buttonhole twist thread. The ribbon worked flowers are made from satin ribbon. I added in seed beads in sizes 6,8, and 11 for details. Metal charms and vintage buttons complete the details.
Victoriana- vest
The beret and purse that I wear with this vest are made from the original fabrics, and the Lady Alexandra is the jewelry that is worn with this outfit.
Being an artist I am inspired by all that I see, past and present. One of my favorite things to do is turn on an old movie, a classic, such as Brigadoon for instance with Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse. The colors of the fabrics used in this vest reminded me of the tartans worn in the movie and of course my mother’s own Scottish heritage.
The vest which is a sample of my Quelque Fleurs class and purse is from my Fleurs de France class. These are both made from silk, dyed cotton and tapestry fabrics that are curved pieced to fit the shape of the pattern. The ribbon flowers and ruching are made from satin and velvet ribbons. The vest has a few pieces of vintage lace around the seams and in the back with additional hand tatted flowers that I made from a vintage spool of buttonhole twist.
The flowering gardens of silk ribbon embroidery are embellished further with vintage sequins, glass charms shaped like lilies, buttons and beads; also used were new glass beads and glass charms. The back of the vest displays a vintage button, that had been a gift from a student. The button had previously been owned by her great aunt quite a lady who had traveled to the west coast on a covered wagon in her youth!
Happy Stitching, enjoy your memories, write them down! Christen
Christen's Creations 