Beginner's Guide to Silk Ribbon Embroidery

First and foremost, Ann Cox is a silk ribbon embroidery designer who runs her own company selling silk ribbons and kits. She teaches at colleges of further education, takes classes in her own studio and gives talks to clubs and guilds. She is also a professional cake decorator, a very keen gardener and is interested in many other crafts, especially those relating to flowers. Ann lives with her husband, Ashley, in a small viallage near Southampton in Hampshire. Ann has her own website www.anncoxsilkribbons.co.uk

October 2014I learned ribbon embroidery with this book and went on to teach classes and make various embroidered items using this lovely method. First published in 1998 this is one of the Classics range of stand out titles that belong firmly on every crafter’s keeper shelf. This is a user-friendly primer that gets you started right away before pictures of advanced work and worse still, what you might have to buy can frighten you. Fortunately that mostly means ribbons, embroidery floss, a hoop and if you want to stencil or paint backgrounds materials for this, otherwise there is no large outlay before you can start. Learn how to anchor ribbon and the special stitch unique to ribbon embroidery plus a few other adaptations of freestyle stitches and before long you will be working on your first picture, a study of spring flowers. If you have done some embroidery before you will find it easier as you have already learned much of what you need to know, but even if you haven’t expect clear photographs and captions guide you through the process. Why is this book a classic? I have several other books on the subject but none is so obviously aimed at the beginner, and with a subject that has not had a lot of coverage (especially back in 1998) this is essential. It literally takes you from choosing the ribbon through practising the stitches to making several small, simple but beautiful pieces. If you are at all interested in having a go and don’t already own this book do buy it. Very highly recommended.

• Introduction 4Tools and materials 8Embroidering with silk ribbons 12Spring flowers 26Bouquet of roses 32Country garden 36Poppies and wheat 38Blackberries 41Stencilling a background 42Painting a background 44Mounting and framing 46Index 48