Happy Wednesday!
Today, we’re going to look at another beautiful book by the queen of Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Di van Niekerk.
I’ve reviewed several of Di’s silk ribbon books here on Needle ‘n Thread. This one concentrates on a set of floral ribbon monograms and projects with embroidered words.
If you love silk ribbon embroidery, if you like dimensional stitching, if you enjoy a kind of multimedia approach to your projects, if you like crazy quilting which often sports ribbon work, if you are a fan of elaborate monograms – then this book will be right up your alley! There are lots of reasons to love it!
Monograms & Words in Ribbon Embroidery focuses on a complete alphabet (with step-by-step instructions for each letter) as well as a collection of small projects involving embroidered words or text set within ribbon embroidered decorative settings.
The book gives you the foundation for further embellishing your own sayings, quotes, motivational statements, or sentiments, so that you’re not restricted to just the words in the book – once you understand Di’s methods, you can branch out and design your own pieces using the decorative frames and the techniques she shares.
The book, incidentally, is loaded with vivid photos of sumptuous silk ribbon work, so it serves well as an inspirational source and an instructional and project book.
The bulk of the book is instructional information
Reading through all Di’s instruction at the beginning of the book is a very good idea. She loads her text with expert tips and advice that will help you achieve success with her projects, and that are also applicable to other embroidery projects as well.
The area where you’ll really want to concentrate your attention, if you’re new to Di’s approach, is the whole section on transferring designs.
Unlike traditional embroidery, which usually involves just a line transfer of the design, Di’s projects require transferring entire color images to fabric and stitching on the resulting imprinted fabric. When you look at the embroidery projects in the book, you will notice that many of them have backgrounds that are images, and the embroidery serves to enhance the image.
You’ll learn different ways to get full color images unto your embroidery fabric – it’s really a matter of experimenting to find out what transfer method you prefer.
There’s a lovely section on materials and supplies at the beginning of the book, too.
You get more than just a list here. You’ll find out what works well and why.
Further along, we see close up images of Di’s embroidery, with explanations of what types of stitches are featured in each image.
This is a terrific resource for any embroiderer who wants to stitch with ribbon, since you can look at the images, find what you like, read about the techniques involved, and then refer to the instructions for those techniques to learn how to do them.
Gorgeous stuff!
You’ll find clear diagrams for all the stitches used in the projects featured in the book…
…and then you’ll find, with each monogram and the other projects, a clear photo of the embroidered piece with step-by-step instructions written out below it…
…as well as a complete supply list and helpful, close-up photos.
In a Nutshell
As is always the case with Di’s silk ribbon embroidery books, Monograms & Words in Ribbon Embroidery is instructional and inspirational. There’s loads of good stuff to learn here, and Di makes it all accessible and doable.
If you’re keen to learn silk ribbon embroidery or to advance your techniques, this is a beautiful book to add to your reference library!
The only slight disadvantage that might come across from the book is that folks who aren’t at least a little technically inclined might have some difficulty at first getting the hang of Di’s approach to image transfers, sizing the images, and other aspects of getting the images you want to use onto your fabric. You really need to be able to manage your home printer and printer settings, scanner, and so forth.
Where to Find It
In the US, Monograms & Words in Ribbon Embroidery is available through Amazon, and you’ll find it listed in the top spot on my Amazon Recommendations page, under the book section titled “My Amazon Recommendations.” You’ll also find several other top-rated silk ribbon embroidery books on my list. I only populate that list with books I own and like, so if you see it there, it’s a good one!
Worldwide with free shipping, you’ll find it available here through Book Depository
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