Tag Archive | silk fabric

Marie’s Boudoirs Pillow 1- silk ribbon embroidery

May19
Marie's Boudoirs Pillow

Marie's Boudoirs Pillow-1

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, and I am embroidering the other half of the purse that will be a second pillow.

The entire pillow is made from silk, excluding the vintage jacquard ribbon (and the stuffing). The striped and solid color fabrics and lace, and 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
  • lazy daisy
  • ribbon stitch
  • colonial knot
  • French 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!

6-1/2″ wide x 8″ tall

Happy stitching and dreaming! enjoy- Christen

April Showers Bring Spring Flowers Corsage: ribbon worked flowers and leaves

May14
April Showers Bring Spring Flowers Corsage

April Showers Bring Spring Flowers Corsage

This brooch is created from a warm, soft pallet of dyed vintage cotton velvet, vintage ombre, hand dyed silk satin, vintage French jacquard and French wire ribbons.

The base is made from a hand dyed vintage cotton velvet ribbon, that I dyed along with the silk satin (double edged rosette) and 7mm silk ribbon (green/orange leaves). The hand stitched flowers and leaves are made with various ribbon work techniques and are stitched into a pleasing vignette.

A wonderful old brass butterfly presides over the flowers. I included seed beads and glass flowers for the centers of the flowers with glass and novelty beads that are interspersed throughout the piece.

The backing is leather, with a pin-back for the finding.

Happy stitching, enjoy- Christen

Days of Wine and Roses- silk ribbon embroidered vest

May4
Days of Wine and Roses close-up

Days of Wine and Roses close-up

The inspiration for the colors of this vest came from the main fabric itself, which is from one of my favorite fabric companies, Hoffman Fabrics. The champagne-mushroom dyed background is liberally sprinkled with chocolate and rose colored ferns and leaves. I used these colors and added in a sage, celery and dark green for the ribbon worked flowers and leaves and the embroidery.

The front of the vest has a raw silk panel stitched in at a slightly off kilter diagonal angle. On either edge of the the cotton and silk seam seam run a display of whimsical floral vignettes. The ribbon worked flowers and leaves are made from a variety of new and vintage ribbons including: Hanah silk bias in 2-1/2″, 1″ and 5/8″; vintage cotton grosgrain and velvet ribbons; double sided satin ribbon; cotton and moire fabrics. The vignettes are embellished with silk ribbon embroidery in sizes 2mm, 4mm and 7mm silk ribbon. Silk and cotton threads were used for details and traditional embroidery stitches.

Days of Wine and Roses- vest

Days of Wine and Roses- vest

Happy Stitching! Christen

La Vie En Rose- embroidered handbag

Apr23
La Vie En Rose by Christen Brown

La Vie En Rose by Christen Brown

The November/December 2007 issue of PieceWork Magazine, included an article on my collection of vintage handbags: The Glamour of it All Collecting Vintage Handbags and La Vie En Rose the purse shown here to embroider. The version in the article shows the back of the purse, and the instructions are for a smaller embroidered floral vignette.

During my research for the article I collected quite a bit of additional information and I have written two other articles that may be of interest if you collect vintage purses.

This purse is made from black silk shantung fabric. I embroidered the stitches in #5 pearl cotton thread, using six colors for the flowers and three for the leaves. I used a variety of traditional embroidery stitches including: bouillon knots, woven rose and spokes, cast-on, lazy daisy, feathered leaf, French Knots, and Peking knot.

Happy Stitching! Christen

Winter Symphony- French wire ribbon corsage and headdress

Apr21
Corsage and Headdress for Winter Symphony

Corsage and Headdress for Winter Symphony

Collaged Memories is a new category that I have added both to my blog and my web stite. It is dedicated to re-cycled, up-cycled and re-purposed creations. Winter Symphony is listed there.

This French wire ribbon worked ensemble was made to accessorise an embroidered silk shawl and purse, images below.

Both the headdress and corsage are made from 1″ and 1-1/2″ French wire ribbon with gold stamens for details. The headdress is stitched to a vintage millinery leaf, and wrapped floral wire. The corsage is backed with three leaves. I wore my hair in a bun at the back of my head, and the headdress fits on top and around it. The corsage I used to keep the shawl closed and around my shoulders.

The shawl and purse accessories were purchased separately, one on ebay the other at a thrift store. The embroidery and coloring were great but the colors needed some help to match the rest of my ensemble. I added in ribbon worked flowers and embroidered silk ribbon leaves on the shawl, using 3/8′ and 1/2″ ribbons with silk ribbon added in for the leaves. I added in ribbon work flowers on the purse, leaving the embroidered leaves and vines and beaded centers to show.

Happy Stitching! Christen

Winter Symphony Shawl

Winter Symphony Shawl

Winter Symphony Purse

Winter Symphony Purse

Beribboned Vest-silk ribbon embroidery with ribbon worked flowers and leaves

Apr6
Beribboned by Christen Brown

Beribboned by Christen Brown

Beribboned is a class that I teach using both silk ribbon embroidery stitches with ribbon worked flowers and leaves in small vignettes created with dyed lace appliques and sections.

I used many different sizes of silk ribbon: 2mm, 4mm, 7mm and 13mm. I also used a few snip-its here and there of a vintage ombre ribbon that was given to me by a friend (see the bow below the heart). I used Hanah silk bias ribbons in sizes 7/16″, 5/8″ and 1″; I used several sizes and types of satin ribbons and a few shear ribbons here and there.

I included vintage and new buttons, beads and charms to further enhance this piece. This is truly one of my favorite vests to wear, and I did so enjoy working on it!

Berribboned Front Heart

Beribboned Front heart

Happy Stitching! Christen

Tied in Knots: crazy pieced, tatted and embroidered needle case

Mar16
Tied in Knots/needle case with tatting and embroidery

Tied in Knots/needle case with tatting and embroidery

Tied in knots — that’s the definition of tatting! At least it is until you get really good at it, which I have to say I still have a long way to go!!!

Tatting is a form of lace that is comprised of a series of knots made onto a loop of thread that is wound around your hand. The stitches are simple: basic knot which is a square knot, a loop (referred to as picot) and chains (single knots) are added for design interest.

My mom taught me how to tat using a red plastic shuttle that I still use. I also have used the long needle designed for tatting, and have used a basic milliner’s needle such as the designs used in the Tandledons.

This crazy pieced shuttle holder is adorned with traditional embroidery, tatted bits and pieces and silk ribbon stitches. I have started collecting shuttles to put in the holder, along with a few thread winders. I have a few shuttles made from celluloid; one from metal; one from Mother of Pearl; and one from abalone shell. But I have to say my favorite is the red plastic one that my mom gave me so many years ago.

Happy Stitching! Christen

Jean’s Summer Garden- silk ribbon-work and ribbon embroidered pillow

Mar6
Jean's Summer Garden by Christen Brown

Jean’s Summer Garden by Christen Brown

When I was younger my family spent summers in Canada at our cottage on Chandos Lake. My grandparents and many of their friends had “summer gardens” planted in pots and boxes around their cottages. These gardens started from bulbs that were planted in containers in basements and nurtured through the winter and spring months.

Jean Beck and her mother Myrtle always planted lovely petunia’s and the colors that I used in this pillow remind their lovely gardens that were planted amongst the rocks around thier cottage.

This pillow is a sample of the stitches that are covered in my class “Elegant Additions”. The stitches used include traditional, free-form and silk ribbon embroidery. I also stitched flowers and leaves from Hanah silk ribbons, and tacked these in place on the pillow.

Happy and Joyous Stitching! Christen

French Bouquet-silk ribbon embroidered pillow

Mar6
French Bouquet by Christen Brown

French Bouquet by Christen Brown

This pillow is made from a silk fabric remnant that I found at local fabric store. I really thought that the champagne colored silk was so pretty, and saved it for this project.

The silk ribbon embroidery is stitched with 2, 4, and 7mm widths of ribbon, some of the ribbons were hand dyed. I used Mokuba ombre ribbons for the rosette flowers. Silk and cotton threads were also used in the embroidery stitches. The ribbon rose at the top of the pillow is made from Hanah Silk ribbon and leaf is made from wire ribbon.

This pattern was also used on a purse which is called “Ellen Matilda’s Rose Garden”. This was my father’s mother an immigrant from Sweden, who never had the time or luxuries for a rose garden, so I embroidered one in her memory.

Happy  and Joyous Stitching! Christen

Rose Garden Pillow

Feb22
Rose Garden by Christen Brown

Rose Garden by Christen Brown

The design for this pillow is very similar to the La Vie en Rose, the purse that I created for the November/December issue of PieceWork Magazine.

This actually was the first design, but I did not use an embroidery hoop, and the fabric puckered TERRIBLY! So I turned the shape into one that would look like a pillow and stuffed it to a maximum density, and voila: no more puckers!

For the embroidery design I used pearl cotton in 6 shades of pink, and 3 shades of green. The stitches I used were: bouillon, woven, cast-on, lazy daisy, feathered leaf, French Knots, and Peking knot.

8-1/2″ W x 7-1/2″ H

May you have many hours of Happy Stitching! Christen