Tag Archive | velvet ribbon

Lothlorien Twilight

Jul10
Lothlorien Twighlight

Lothlorien Twilight

“Lothlorien” is where Galadriel lives in J.R.R. Tolkien’s magical world. The cloaks that she and her ladies made, that were given to the “Fellowship of the Ring” were said to have been made with a cloth that reflected the leaf, branch, water and stone of this realm. I felt that the colors that I chose for this piece reflected the same thing. Hopefully the magic will be reflected here too!

embroidered center

embroidered center

The background is a vintage embroidered silk purse, probably from China. The purse itself was too delicate to be used as such, so I have tried to preserve it’s beauty, and add it to my collection of art. Each piece of embroidery is comprised of single “Peking or Chinese Knot”, incredible in itself the work that went into each piece! These were each stitched separately then attached by hand to the brown silk. The rows of gold work that attached each design had come apart so I hand stitched these back in place first before I added in my own embellishments.

Then it was time to add in some of my own work. I beaded three dragonflies that have a dentalium shell body that is beaded and wings that are beaded. I made several sets of brick stitched leaves and interspersed them through the sections of flowers. I also beaded a few vines of brick stitched leaves.

beadedcenter

embellished and beaded center

I hand stitched several butterflies from French wire ribbon, and added dentalium shell bodies which are beaded. I also made hand stitched flowers from grosgrain ribbon that I stitched with vintage celluloid button centers. I antiqued both the flowers and butterfly bodies with copper fabric paint.

Several more flowers were made from silk bias ribbon and vintage velvet ribbon. These have beaded centers and are interspersed between the butterflies and larger flowers.

I used many vintage buttons that I have collected over the years including carved Tahiti shell, “tinnies” and celluloid which were used around the outer edges. Several new dragonfly and butterfly buttons and charms were also found to complete the theme.

Full wall hanging

Full wall hanging

I had a wonderful time collecting all of these treasures, then finding a home for them to reside.

The last item I found at Maureen’s Vintage Acquisitions was the mini quilt hanger with the dragonfly on the top! Perfection!

I hope that you enjoy what you do, have fun today and do take a look at the other entries for this challenge, they are all unique and incredible!

Happy stitching, collecting and treasure what gifts you have! Enjoy! ~Christen

Woodland Roses- necklace

Jun1
Woodland Roses- necklace

Woodland Roses- necklace

I have been collecting buttons for as long as I can remember, nothing really fancy or too expensive, just colors and shapes that I liked and thought that I could use. At first all buttons ended up on garments, my imagination being somewhat limited to their use I guess.

Several years ago when I started to create jewelry that was more complicated than stringing beads, I started to look at my button stash as a source for more creative designs.

This particular group started with the lovely carved Bakelite roses, which took me several months to collect on ebay. During this time I had found a wonderful collection of celluloid buttons in taupe, maple and chocolate with great patterns and shapes. I then looked into my tagua nut collection, these carved beauties come in such lovely understated tones that I new they would blend in nicely. A few carved horn buttons fell into place here and there.

Other treasures I found to carry out my theme here are the clip-on earrings which are a pair of vintage rosewood discs with celluloid roses. The pin shown below the earrings is an old Bakelite “Deco Era” buckle that I glued a pin back to.  The base of the necklace is made similar to the “Vintage Bling Bling” pattern; gathered and stitched with a silk cord for the tie. The buttons and the rose charms are stitched to the base with pearl cotton.

Woodland Roses- bracelets

Woodland Roses- bracelets

The first cuff bracelet is pierced with a lovely design and made tortoise shell. The second bracelet is made using my “Bohemian Button Bracelet” pattern. I used many vintage tagua nut buttons from my stash. The last bracelet (vintage) matches the first set of earrings (shown with the necklace), being made from rosewood discs with celluloid roses.

The pierced earrings are a collection of charms that didn’t end up on the necklace. The dangles are made from: rosewood with celluloid roses, wood discs, and carved Bakelite roses.

This was a fun ensemble to collect for, actually the collecting, hunting and gathering took longer than making the piece. That was the fun part of the adventure.

Happy stitching, make every day count, and enjoy- Christen

Santa Fe Talisman- necklace

Jun1
Santa Fe Talisman- necklace

Santa Fe Talisman- necklace

The inspiration for the colors of this neck-piece came from the wonderful colors in the abalone and Tahiti shell buttons. Other buttons include hand carved jade, turquoise and shell. The base of the necklace is comprised of two vintage velvet ribbon stitched together, using my Vintage Bling Bling pattern.

All of the components: the buttons; glass and shell charms; seed and novelty beads that are encrusted around the base took a lifetime to collect. The vintage carved tahiti shell buttons were a gift from a friend; the abalone buttons I made myself in high school; the turquoise buttons were bought at the Palace of the Governor in Santa Fe, New Mexico a few summers back.

Other treasures include shell discs that came from an old necklace I wore in high school; fresh water pearls, vintage trade beads and new glass beads I have collected from many bead shows and fairs.

Santa Fe Talisman- bracelets

Santa Fe Talisman- bracelets

The first bracelet “Anemone” is loaded with dangles of all kinds. These are stitched to a base of large seed beads with a vintage button for the closure. The second bracelet is from the “Button Brigade” pattern with carved floral pua shell buttons.

The treasures of the summer and the sea bring a life time of joy and beauty. Enjoy your stitching adventures…. Christen

Rosette Corsage Medley- ribbonworked flowers

May30

Rosette Corsage Medley- ribbon worked flowers

Rosette Corsage Medley- ribbon worked flowers

This is a sampling of some of my favorite corsages and by changing the colors and leaves they each have a unique look.

Starting from the top left:

  • The flower is made from a 3″ wide vintage French ombre ribbon with vintage velvet leaves and a vintage glass button center.
  • The flower is made from French wire ribbon the center is full of stamens with a glass button.
  • The flower is made from French wire ribbon with a velvet rosette and vintage button for the center and vintage stamens. The leaf is made from 3-1/2″ wide French wire ribbon.

Happy Stitching, Christen

The Cotillion Tassel- ribbons and beads

May27
The Cotillion Tassel

The Cotillion Tassel

This tassel is a most feminine tassel, perfect to adorn that special armoire or chest of drawers. I have made several tassels in my time, and I hang them on an old fence post that my husband attached to the wall.

This tassel is a sample from my Cotillion Tassel pattern. The tassel is embellished with hand made flowers and leaves using a variety of ribbons and trims including:

  • Rayon Velvet
  • Vintage French Jacquard
  • 10mm French Ombre
  • French Wire Ribbon
  • Hanah silk cord
  • Rococo Trim

The velvet ribbons were stitched into leaves and used at the top of the tassel as well as the calyx for the modified fuchsias which are made from the French wire ribbon. The vintage French jacquard has a disc at the bottom and is embellished with seed beads. The rococo trim is wrapped around the silk cord which is further embellished with beads and charms. Flowers made from the wire and the ombre ribbons are sprinkled around the top of the tassel.

To finish off the embellishments I added in stamens for the flowers, glass butterflies and leaves, and metal flower shaped charms.

Enjoy! Christen

Cobblestone Collar- Beaded Jewelry Ensemble

May18

Cobblestone Collar- Beaded Jewelry Ensemble

Cobblestone Collar- Beaded Jewelry Ensembl

The necklace is made from a unique stitch that resembles wagon wheels or bricks placed into a pattern. It was a marvelous vehicle for these wonderful vintage and new Tahiti shell buttons that I had been collecting. The necklace made from size 8, 11 & 15 seed beads, is also adorned with fresh water pearls.

The first bracelet “Cobbled Cuff” is stitched with the free form peyote stitch. For the center piece I used a vintage Tahiti shell buckle found on a treasure hunt through my mom’s button jar. I stitched the bracelet with size 6,8,11 & 15 new and vintage seed beads along with fresh water pearls. A filigree bronze button is used for the closure.

The second bracelet “Velvet Cuff” is made with vintage carved tahiti shell buttons stitched with vintage glass seed beads onto a base of velvet ribbon. I especially love the flower shaped button on the left!

Cobblestone Collar- Beaded Jewelry Ensemble

Cobblestone Collar- Beaded Jewelry Ensemble

Happy stitching, let the beading begin! 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

A Collection of Ribbon Work Corsages- ribbon worked flowers and leaves

May14
A collection of my ribbon work corsages

A collection of my ribbon work corsages

My love for flowers came at an early age. We spent many summers enjoying my grandparents garden and the wild flowers around our cabin.

My grandfather’s green thumb was passed down to me, only I cultivate ribbon worked flowers as apposed to those that bloom perennially or annually.

I have been teaching classes on ribbon work for over 15 years, and the bloom is still fresh. I believe that anyone can make beautiful flowers with very little experience or tools. The important thing to remember is that this is made from your heart and hands, so give it your best.

Happy stitching and thanks for dropping by… 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

Aubrey’s Autumn Afternoon Vest- silk ribbon embroidery

Apr21
Aubrey's Autumn Afternoon by Christen Brown

Aubrey’s Autumn Afternoon by Christen Brown

This vest is another created from the class that I teach, Renaissance of Ribbon Embroidery, using a tapestry fabric for the base of the project, and stitching in silk ribbon embroidered stitches to embellish the print.

I fell in love with this tapestry mainly because of the sunflowers, I loved the bold colorful brilliance. Unfortunately I forgot to check where the sunflowers were going to land the first time I cut out the pattern pieces, well you can probably guess where they wound up, yes big bulls eyes at breast level. So I had to re-cut the pieces, made two purses from the other pieces and learned a very expensive lesson!

Close-up of Aubrey's Autumn Afternoon

Close-up of Aubrey’s Autumn Afternoon

I used mainly 4mm silk ribbon for the stitching with silk button hole twist for the vines and details. I incorporated a few tatted flowers here and there. I also used Japan Gold thread to detail the petals of the sunflower, as you can see in the lower left hand corner of this image.

The center column of flowers was added after I realized that the pattern no longer fit me. Ugh! But I have to admit you do grow and learn from these design dilemmas!

I used vintage velvet trims, like the garnet colored one sewn down the front panel, and the garnet and green on the back of the vest. I also used several wonderful large pieces of vintage lace on the back panel.

Down the center panel and on the back of the vest I incorporated silk bias and French wire ribbon flowers with dyed fabric leaves. The front panel also has several vintage and new buttons mingled amongst the flowers with charms and other beads.

Happy Stitching! Christen