Embroidery Ribbon

Ribbon embroidery is a decorative embellishment style that employs the use of ribbons, perle cotton and embroidery floss for creating beautiful stitch patterns and floral motifs by hand on different kinds of garments and accessories. It can be used on all kinds of fabrics and clothing and also on bags, berets, hats, gloves, pins, quilts and pillows etcetra. It is a very versatile style to work with. Apart from this, it is simple and easy to learn but produces great results. Ribbon embroidery is fun and easy to learn and does not require a huge variety of supplies. Therefore, it is quite popular for children’s projects also. Even somebody without experience at this kind of embroidery can create beautiful floral designs and elegant patterns by using some simple techniques and stitches.

Ribbon embroidery does not need a large number of varied tools or accessories and can be adapted to a variety of projects. To start with, you will need a hoop, chenille or tapestry needles, embroidery scissors, marking tools, cotton or silk floss, needle grabbers and the regular project, books or patterns. The most important part of course, are the ribbons, and most experts suggest using pure silk ribbons. While the colors and size of your ribbons would depend on the kind of project that you want to work on, you can easily put 2mm, 4mm and 7mm silk ribbons to good use in most silk ribbon embroidery projects. These are the most common silk ribbon widths. The 2mm ribbons are used for creating French knots, daisies and other small leaves and patterns. The 4mm ribbons are the ones that are generally used for creating flowers and leaves while the 7mm ribbon is most appropriate for creating large leaves and gathered flowers.

Another thing that you would need to pay attention to are the kinds of needles to use in your ribbon embroidery project. While tapestry needles are good for working on loosely woven fabrics or sweaters, chenille needles with sharp points and large eyes are apt for getting through tightly woven fabrics. Whatever kind of needle you use; the size of the needle will be determined by the size of the ribbon used. A size 22-24 needle is suitable for 2mm ribbons while 20-22 size needles are perfect for 4mm ribbons. Larger ribbon sizes like 7mm would require the use of a size 18 needle.