Silk Ribbon Embroidery Picture for Lura Kay

This evening I finished the ribbon embroidery picture I've been making for my sister's birthday, which is May 17th.  I put it into the frame, along with several layers of batting, assembled the frame (it swivels), and was done.  You can't really tell it from these pictures, but the embroidered piece puffs out of the frame a good half an inch.

Only a Few More Flowers ...

... and the embroidery part of the picture will be done.  Then to add the beads, and a bit of embroidery with regular cotton embroidery floss.

with flash...

... and without flash.  I like it better without.  Following shots are sans flash.

Irises

Veronica and orchid buds

Blue flax and pink gerbera daisies

Orchids

Orchid

Roses

Orchid buds

Iris

Iris

Iris

Pink gerbera daisy

Progress on Ribbon Embroidery

It's beginning to look more like a basket of flowers than the Loch Ness monster, so that's promising. Still lots more work to do on it.  Photos 1-6 were taken with the Tamron 90mm macro lens, 7-8 with the new 18-55 kit lens.

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Silk Ribbon Picture -- Adding the Blue Flax

I sewed on more lace to give it a bit of a crazy-quilt effect.  There are still lots of flowers to go.

These pictures were taken with Victoria's SX40, one of Canon's high-end point-and-shoots.  Tomorrow I'm heading to Nebraska Furniture Mart's Electronics Department to see about getting a new camera; my Canon EOS Rebel Xsi bit the dust today.  It survived well into old age; it was approaching the 140,000-photo mark.  I probably won't get back to the embroidery until Friday.

Silk Ribbon Basket Done

The basket part of the picture is done.  Doesn't look exactly like a basket... but this is the part of the basket that will show when the ribbon flowers are in place.  I used white ribbon, then dyed it with sepia, amber, and sunflower.

Actually, it looks more like the Loch Ness monster than a flower basket, don't you think?  :-D

Starting a Ribbon Embroidery Picture

Today I am beginning a silk-ribbon-embroidered picture which I plan to give to my sister for her birthday.  I was pleased when I discovered that a large bag of silk ribbon I'd ordered had arrived.

I sewed the background onto muslin -- taffeta moiré, silk jacquard, and re-embroidered lace.  I've roughed in some of the first stitches I'll make with my disappearing ink pen... ironed a few strands of ribbon... pawed through my supplies... and am ready to begin.  The new ribbon is in all colors of the rainbow.  I actually prefer using white and then dying it with my Letraset Promarkers, but I couldn't pass up the smashing bargain a lady offered me for all her ribbon.

Background

I like all the fancy stitches my Bernina Artista 180 can do.

Silk ribbon embroidery supplies

New Letraset pastels

Is the Needle in a Haystack?

So there I was, hand sewing one evening as we visited

with Larry's parents.  I poured everyone a fresh cup of coffee,

returned to my chair and my sewing -- but my needle had gone AWOL.

Where was it??  I looked high and low, and then I looked low and high,

but no needle materialized.  I trotted up to my sewing room,

got another needle, and finished my sewing.

We visited... sipped our coffee...

and then I found my needle:

Yes, it was in the bottom of my coffee cup.

No, I don't know how it got there.