Stitching outside the box

Here are a couple of outstanding recent examples of extending the design in a print with embroidery. On the left, Sandy Larson gives an image dimension and blurs its borders with silk-ribbon leaves and tiny appliqued flowers that perfectly match the print. The CQ postcard is featured on Cathy K’s Crazy by Design blog. On the right, Marjolein of Threads and Patches uses embroidery to finish pansies cut off along the edge of a print and to scatter a few more for good measure, incorporating the theme more solidly into the block. You can see more views at her blog post. I’m definitely going to try this technique!

Looking for a supplier of Silk Ribbon? We love Etsy for finding hand dyed ribbons as well as imported European silk Embroidery Ribbons. You can see the listings here on Etsy.  Why use silk ribbons? While you can use other kinds of ribbon, it’s best to work with silk because It’s lightweight and very fluid and can easily be manipulated into stitches.