3rd Place, Professional Original

This charming bouquet of spring flowers was designed as a teaching piece with the beginning silk ribbon student in mind. Dimension and texture are created using a variety of silk threads and ribbons in varying widths and thicknesses.

Basic surface embroidery stitches are used in silk ribbon techniques to create the stylized flowers, on a 14ʺ x 14ʺ color-washed cream Congress cloth. These stitches include the outline stitch, stem stitch, wrapped stem stitch, detached chain stitch, straight stitch, split stitch, satin stitch, loop stitch, fly stitch, pistil stitch, French knots, colonial knots, the ribbon stitch, and couching.

The design uses both 4mm and 7mm silk ribbons, most of them overdyed; DMC pearl cottons; Needlepoint, Inc. silk; Silk Road Straw Silk; Trebizond silk pearl; Appleton crewel wool; and Painter’s Thread soie perlee.

My silk ribbon bouquet is dedicated to my fellow artist friend and stitcher, Annette, who loved silk ribbon embroidery. I’m sure she is smiling at her always-fresh flowers!