I have started the ribbon embroidery on my challenge project for my embroidery guild. But, I have never tried ribbon embroidery before, so I have been seeking out what resources I can to help me along. Today I am sharing a few of the things I have been finding helpful.

First, the book that made me think I could do this is Ribbon Embroidery with 178 Iron-on Transfers by J. Marsha Michler. I found it on sale for two dollars at a shop in Wisconsin when I was on vacation a few weeks ago. I considered it a serendipitous find.

The book is primarily a collection of patterns, but there are some basic stitching instructions in the back of the book. This book made me feel like the project was doable, but the stitching instructions were pretty sketchy and I needed more help to get started.

While visiting my local public library, I stumbled upon the A-Z of Silk Ribbon Flowers by Ann Cox. This book has tons of lovely photos and shows how to create a few basic stitches step-by-step. But, I feel this book is more geared towards an intermediate stitcher in ribbon embroidery. The projects in the book are gorgeous, but they involve things like handpainting the fabric backgrounds and the silk ribbons to achieve some of the effects.

Ann Cox has written many books on ribbon embroidery, however, some of these titles might be better for the beginner:

• Beginner’s Guide to Silk Ribbon Embroidery by Ann Cox
• The Handbook of Silk Ribbon Embroidery by Ann Cox

But, even with the two books, I still needed help. I was still confused about some basic things, and the books didn’t seem to cover my beginner questions. For example, how do you secure the ribbon on the back of the fabric? (Just tie a knot.) How do thread the needle with the ribbon and prevent it from just sliding out with every stitch? (Answer below.)

So, started searching for video tutorials. I love the Craftsy site for online art classes, and Craftsy does have a Ribbon Embroidery Tutorial class. I thought about plunking down some money for it, but I decided to search YouTube first.

Jackpot! I found a few videos on YouTube that showed me exactly what I wanted to know.

Professor Pincushion

Professor Pincushion only has a couple videos dedicated to ribbon embroidery, but they are both great. The “How to Make Ribbon Roses” video showed me how to start my thread, how to thread my needle, and how easy it was to make a great-looking rose with ribbon. Both the videos below gave me the confidence to get started and stop worrying about trying to do things perfectly.

Crafty Attic

Another stitcher on Instagram told me about Crafty Attic.  She has at least a dozen videos showing how to create various ribbon embroidery projects. One is below, but search for Crafty Attic on YouTube to find many more. They are all really good, too.

Wednesday I should have some progress to show! Until then…happy stitching!