Splendid Silk Ribbon Embroidery: Embellishing Clothing, Linens & Accessories

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book and Quite Suitable for Beginners
Review: I had never done ribbon embroidery before, but have found this book very easy to follow. Easier, in fact, than many others that I have looked at.

This is what the book covers: "The Basics" section describes types of ribbon, threads and flosses, beads, needles, fabric, embroidery hoops and other accessories that are commonly used in ribbon embroidery; how to start and end your ribbonwork; and the basics of how to make a simple pillow.

Next comes the section, "A Guide to the Stitches." Each stitch has numbered steps and shows a diagram of the needle position in each step. Both the diagrams and the written instructions are crystal clear. Here are the stitches you will learn: backstitch, bullion knot stitch, buttonhole stitch, chain stitch, colonial knot, couching, cretan stitch, feather stitch, fern stitch, fly stitch, French knot, herringbone stitch, Japanese ribbon sitch, twisted ribbon stitch, lazy daisy, bullion-tipped lazy daisy, decorated lazy daisy, leaf stitch, loop stitch, loop-stitch flower, montano knot,pistil stitch, plume stitch, star stitch, stem stitch, straight stitch, padded straight stitch, twisted straight stitch, wave stitch, whipped running stitch, wrapped bar, Bradford rose, cabbage rose, concertina rose, gathered rose, spider web rose, stemstitch rose, and how to make rosebuds, bees, ladybugs, and "generic flying insects."

Following this section are the projects, most of which are comprised of several different types of flowers. Each project has a full-color photo, a drawing of the project, and a written description. Both the drawings and the descriptions tell which type of stitch to use to form the flowers, and sometimes there are recommendations as to which width of ribbon to use. It is true that you will have to flip back and forth between the stitch section and the project section, until you learn the stitches by heart. Perhaps a way around this would be to photocopy the stitch section and lay it out in front of you while you are following the project.

While I am sure there will be other ribbon embroidery books in my future, I suspect that this one will be the book I turn to most often.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book and Quite Suitable for Beginners
Review: I had never done ribbon embroidery before, but have found this book very easy to follow. Easier, in fact, than many others that I have looked at.

This is what the book covers: "The Basics" section describes types of ribbon, threads and flosses, beads, needles, fabric, embroidery hoops and other accessories that are commonly used in ribbon embroidery; how to start and end your ribbonwork; and the basics of how to make a simple pillow.

Next comes the section, "A Guide to the Stitches." Each stitch has numbered steps and shows a diagram of the needle position in each step. Both the diagrams and the written instructions are crystal clear. Here are the stitches you will learn: backstitch, bullion knot stitch, buttonhole stitch, chain stitch, colonial knot, couching, cretan stitch, feather stitch, fern stitch, fly stitch, French knot, herringbone stitch, Japanese ribbon sitch, twisted ribbon stitch, lazy daisy, bullion-tipped lazy daisy, decorated lazy daisy, leaf stitch, loop stitch, loop-stitch flower, montano knot,pistil stitch, plume stitch, star stitch, stem stitch, straight stitch, padded straight stitch, twisted straight stitch, wave stitch, whipped running stitch, wrapped bar, Bradford rose, cabbage rose, concertina rose, gathered rose, spider web rose, stemstitch rose, and how to make rosebuds, bees, ladybugs, and "generic flying insects."

Following this section are the projects, most of which are comprised of several different types of flowers. Each project has a full-color photo, a drawing of the project, and a written description. Both the drawings and the descriptions tell which type of stitch to use to form the flowers, and sometimes there are recommendations as to which width of ribbon to use. It is true that you will have to flip back and forth between the stitch section and the project section, until you learn the stitches by heart. Perhaps a way around this would be to photocopy the stitch section and lay it out in front of you while you are following the project.

While I am sure there will be other ribbon embroidery books in my future, I suspect that this one will be the book I turn to most often.

Rating:
Summary: Good for design inspiration, but...
Review: This book is one of the best for providing suggestions on how to use silk ribbon embroidery to embellish your clothing (vests, tops, etc). It has a short section describing the stitches, and each design element is identified by the type of stitches used to make it.

The book isn't really intended for a beginner, though. It doesn't give a description of HOW to make the flowers in a given design-- in fact, it doesn't walk you through making ANY flowers.

As a result, if you already know how to make roses, lilacs, etc, and are seeking inspiration for applying these techniques to a variety of garments (vests, sweaters, girls' headbands, brooches, etc), then this is the perfect book for you. If you are a true beginner, don't expect that this book will teach you the basics.