If you want to add some fancy embellishment to your corset, consider ribbon embroidery. It's easy to learn, the supplies are not expensive, and you can finish your project considerably faster than with traditional embroidery.
For some historical inspiration, here are some examples of ornamentation with ribbon embroidery.
- Doucet Ballgown, 1902
- Doucet Evening Gown, 1902
- Evening Shoes, 1875-1885
- French Robe & Petticoat, 1775-1780
- Evening Dress, 1807-1811
- Young Girl's Dress
Historically, corsets were embroidered with floss, not ribbon, such as this example from Royal Worchester, 1876, because the clothes needed to fit smoothly over them, and not show the embroidery underneath. However, we are not constricted by such issues today, so the three dimensional quality of ribbon embroidery can be exploited to great effect on corsets that are meant to be seen, and not hidden under clothes.
Materials You'll Need
- Ribbon
- Fabric
- Pattern
- Needles
- Embroidery Hoop
- Embroidery Floss
- Transfer Supplies
Online Sources
Note: The author has not personally used all of these sources and cannot vouch for their reliability or products.
Ribbon - The best kind of ribbon for embroidery is silk. You can use other types, but silk is lightweight and fluid and therefore lends itself perfectly to embroidery. (Silk organza can also used.) Silk ribbon comes in several widths. The most commonly used are 2mm, 4mm, 7mm, and 13mm. 7mm is commonly used for large flowers. 4mm is good for smaller flower petals and leaves. 2mm works well for tiny details, such as flower buds and stamens.
Fabric - Every artist needs a canvas. In this case, any woven or knit fabric will do. If you'd like to add ribbon embroidery to a garment that will need frequent laundering, or to an object that isn't easy to sew, such as a pair of shoes, consider working the embroidery on a separate piece that can be basted, pinned, or glued in place. Crinoline, horsehair, or stiff interfacing works well for this.
Pattern - While it is possible to embroider freehand, most people need at least a rough guide to follow. You can find free patterns online, you can purchase them, or you can draw your own.
Needles - For woven fabrics, chenille needles work best, as they have large eyes to hold the ribbon. The higher the number, the smaller the needle is, and the smaller the ribbon that should be used with it. You want a needle that will produce a large enough hole for the ribbon to easily pass through the fabric, but not so large that it leaves a bigger hole than necessary. If you have difficulty pulling the ribbon through the fabric, or if the silk develops a run, try a larger needle.
| Ribbon Size | Needle Size |
| 2 mm | 24 |
| 4 mm | 22 |
| 7 mm | 20 |
| 13 mm | 18 |
In some cases, you'll need a different type of needle. Switch to a smaller needle when working with embroidery floss. If you're embroidering a knit fabric, you'll need a tapestry needle, which has a blunt tip that won't snag.
Embroidery Hoop - As with most embroidery work, you'll need a hoop to hold your fabric taut.
Embroidery Floss - You might want to couch the ribbon, gather it, or stitch it down to the fabric. For this, you'll want embroidery floss that matches the color of the ribbon.
Transfer Supplies - You'll need a means of transferring your design onto your fabric. We'll discuss your options in a moment.
Preparation
Pre-wash both your fabric and your silk ribbon. Silk itself does not shrink, but the weave can tighten, which will shrink the ribbon. You don't want this happening after you've finished your project, because it might distort your embroidery work. Some silk ribbons are not colorfast and will bleed when wet, which is another good reason to pre-wash your ribbons—but wash them separately, in case they do bleed.
Silk becomes fragile when wet, so be gentle with it. Use a mild laundry detergent or shampoo. Shampoo is specifically designed for cleaning natural protein fibers, which is what silk is, so it's an ideal cleanser.
- Fill your sink with a few inches of water. Add a pinch of detergent or shampoo and make sure it's fully dissolved before you add the ribbon.
- Place one length of ribbon in the water and let it soak for a minute. Use your fingers to agitate the water.
- Remove the ribbon from the water, but don't squeeze or wring it. Drain the sink and rinse it out thoroughly, then fill with clean water.
- Place the ribbon back in the water and agitate with your fingers to rinse all the soap out. Repeat, if necessary.
- Sandwich the wet ribbon between thick layers of paper towels and gently squeeze to remove excess water. If a great deal of dye stains the paper towels, you may wish to wash the ribbon again.
- Either lay the ribbon flat or drape it over a hanger and allow it to air dry.
Once your ribbon is dry, you need to iron it. This will not only remove the wrinkles, but it will soften the silk, making it easier to embroider with. Melissa of Honey Bee's Bliss teaches a quick and easy method for pressing your silk ribbon. She suggests that you pull the ribbon underneath your iron. It's much faster than moving the iron over the entire length of ribbon.
First, untangle your length of ribbon and loosely wind it. Set your iron either to its lowest heat setting, or it's “silk” setting.
Place the ribbon behind your iron, near the back edge of your ironing board, toward the right if you're right-handed.
Press the first six inches of ribbon. Then set the iron on the flattened ribbon and gently pull the ribbon toward you, so that it passes underneath the iron. If the wrinkles are stubborn, you can pull from the back side of the iron, so that the ribbon passes under the iron again. You can also dampen the ribbon with a light mist of water. When pulling the ribbon under the iron, try to keep it moving at a steady pace so it doesn't overheat.
Once your ribbon is ironed, you might want to wind it loosely around the spool it came on. This will keep it from tangling or getting dirty. Don't wind it too tightly or it may stretch and distort. If the spool is flat, such as a piece of cardboard, the ribbon will form creases as it winds around. You can quickly remove these by ironing it again.
Pattern Design
Unless you choose to embroider freehand, you're going to need a pattern to follow. If your design is complex, with a wide variety of stitches and colors, consider creating two patterns: one that's just a basic outline of your design, and a second pattern that includes symbols to represent each kind of stitch and color used. You can refer to the second pattern as a guide while you work. The simpler pattern is what you'll transfer onto your fabric and embroider over.
Where can you find patterns? You can make your own, if you're creatively inclined. Any sketch can be turned into an embroidery motif.
When designing a pattern, keep in mind that flowers and leaves look better in clusters of odd numbers. You don't want perfect symmetry, as this tends to bore the eye. Instead, keep things off-balance. It may seem strange, but it's visually appealing.
Celtic Knots - Celtic knots make beautiful embroidery motifs if you can find a way to incorporate one into your work. There are many books on the subject of creating Celtic knots, as well as websites that offer free instruction. You can also find free designs to copy or trace.
Books
- The Celtic Design Book by Aidan Meehan
- Celtic Knotwork Designs by Sheila Sturrock
- Celtic Designs for Artists and Craftspeople by Dover
- Ready-to-Use Celtic Designs by Mallory Pearce
Websites
- Calligraphy Skills—How to Draw Celtic Knots
- Celtic Knots
- Fantasy Art Resource Project—Celtic Knots
- Marcel's Kid Crafts—Free Printable Celtic Knots
- Celtic Art & Illumination—Celtic Clip Art
If drawing doesn't appeal to you, there are many books and websites that contain embroidery patterns. Another option is to browse libraries of clip art and see if anything catches your eye. Antique fashion magazines, such as Godey's Lady's Book, Harper's Bazar, or La Mode Illustrée often contain embroidery patterns, too.
Free Clip Art
Free Embroidery Patterns
- Needle 'n Thread
- Honey Bee's Bliss
- Di Van Niekerk
- A Victorian Passage Into Time (click on “Sewing & Patterns”)
Embroidery Pattern Books
- Victorian Floral Iron-On Transfer Patterns by Claire Bryant
- Garden Flowers Iron-On Transfer Patterns by Claire Bryant
- Ribbon Embroidery With 178 Iron-On Transfers by J. Marsha Michler
Fashion Magazine Archives
- Harper's Bazar, 1867-1900
- Godey's Lady's Book, 1855
- Godey's Lady's Book, 1874
- Godey's Lady's Book, 1880 (January-June)
- Godey's Lady's Book, 1880 (July-December)
Be aware of copyright laws when using designs that are not your own. This is especially important if you're going to be selling your finished product. You cannot copy someone else's design unless they grant permission for its use. There are free patterns available, but some stipulate that they're only for private, non-commercial use, which means you cannot use them on items you intend to sell. Some patterns will be available for commercial use if you pay an additional fee. It's always better to make sure that it's okay to use the embroidery pattern first, so you're not surprised with a lawsuit down the road.
Transferring Your Design
Once you've chosen a design, either print it out or draw it on a sheet of paper. Remember to keep the design simple. Don't include colors or intricate detail.
Freehand Drawing - If your design is uncomplicated, you can draw it onto your fabric with a chalk pencil or a fabric pen. To get rid of the ink marks, either wait for the air-soluble marks to fade, or spray them with a little water and rub gently.
Warning: If you rinse your fabric in water that contains detergents, the water-soluble marks might not wash off, but could fade to brown and set permanently. Rinse with plain water first, then add soap, if necessary.
Transfer Pen- This handy pen or pencil allows you to trace your design and iron it onto your fabric. Print or draw your design, then flip it over and trace the image on the back of the paper using the transfer pen. To do this, you can tape the paper to a window on a sunny day or use a light-box. Make certain the design you trace with the transfer pen is the reverse of how you actually want it to look, because with the iron-on process, the image will be flipped.
Tulle Tracing- This is a simple method of tracing your design onto your fabric. Take a large piece of white tulle and lay it over your printed design. Carefully trace over it with a black Sharpie or marker. (You might place a sheet of cardboard beneath the printout, so that the ink doesn't seep through and stain your work surface.) Allow time for the marker to dry, then pin the tulle to your fabric and trace over the design with an air- or water-soluble fabric pen. The ink will pass through the holes in the tulle, leaving behind a faint image that you can embroider over.
Here are a few more transfer methods you might consider:
- Transfer (Carbon) Paper
- Iron-On Transfer
- Water-Soluble Transfer Paper
- Ink-Jet Fabric
- Direct Tracing
- Thread Tracing
Getting Started
When you're ready to begin embroidering, measure a length of ribbon that's 12”-14” long and cut the ends diagonally to keep them from fraying. Thread your needle, then secure the ribbon with a lock stitch. To do this, pierce the ribbon a few inches from the needle. Pull the needle through and gently tighten the ribbon's tail to create a “knot” that prevents the ribbon from coming unthreaded.
Unlike with traditional hand-sewing, you do not knot the end of your embroidery ribbon. Instead, leave a short tail on the underside of your fabric. You have three options for securing the tail.
- Weave the tail into nearby stitches.
- Pierce the tail with your first stitch.
- Sew the tail to the stitches on the underside of the fabric.
Once you've finished working with one length of ribbon, leave another tail and secure it in the same manner.
Stitches
There are a wide variety of easy stitches you can use to create borders, vines, leaves, flowers, and so forth. Here's a few to get you started.
Running Stitch - This is a very basic stitch that can be used as a plain border or as a foundation for other stitches. Pull the ribbon up from underneath at point A. Go a short distance and stab the fabric at point B, pulling the ribbon to the underside of the fabric. Go a short distance to point C and bring the ribbon back up to the top of the fabric; repeat.
You can choose to create a running stitch that is equal, where the top and bottom stitches are the same length, or you can can make the stitches on the bottom smaller.
For a quicker version of this stitch, weave the needle through the fabric several times before pulling the ribbon through. However, if your fabric is tightly woven or if your ribbon is large, it may be difficult to pull the ribbon through so many layers, especially without putting a run in the ribbon. You'll have to try it and see whether it works with your materials.
Straight Stitch - This is similar to the running stitch, except that you only use it once, rather than creating a long row. It can be used for flower petals, leaves, and other decorative shapes. To make the straight stitch, simply bring the needle up at point A, go a short distance and go down at point B. This creates a single, short stitch.
You can create a border effect by alternating the lengths of your straight stitches. If you make several angled stitches close together, it will resemble clusters of flower petals or leaves. You can also make them in a circle, for a starburst or floral effect.
Ribbon Stitch - This stitch is unique to ribbon embroidery—it will not work if you try it with thread. It's excellent for creating curled flower petals or leaves. Bring your ribbon up at point A, go a short distance and make certain your ribbon lies flat against the fabric, then pierce the ribbon at point B. This creates a fold-back effect, like a curled flower petal.
To ensure that you don't pull the ribbon too far through itself, slide a tapestry needle through the loop that forms after you pierce the ribbon. Once your ribbon looks the way you want, pull the needle free. You can vary the effect of the ribbon stitch by piercing the ribbon off-center, or by changing how far down you pierce the ribbon. Keeping the stitch shorter will increase the realistic effect, as will using wider ribbon.
In the second part of this article, we'll look at several more advanced stitches that you can use to produce beautiful flowers, monograms, and borders. We'll also explore ways of adding detail to your embroidery work.
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This is wonderful, than you for sharing :)
