Table Of ContentCRAFTS/Needlework/Embroidery
Embroidered
Embellished
&
CHRISTEN BROWN
The complete visual guide
to hand embroidery & embellishing
• Step-by-step photo instructions show exactly
how to sew 85 different stitches
• Includes 8 complete embroidery projects
to stitch and embellish
Christen Brown
• The essential embroidery reference for everyone
from beginners to experts
85 Stitches Using Thread, Floss, Ribbon, Beads & More • Step-by-Step Visual Guide
Christen Brown Embroidered & Embellished C&T PUBLISHING
Embroidered
& E mbellished
85 Stitches Using Thread, Floss, Ribbon, Beads & More • Step-by-Step Visual Guide
CHRISTEN BROWN
Text and Photography copyright © 2013 by Christen Brown
Photography and Artwork copyright © 2013 by
C&T Publishing, Inc.
Publisher: Amy Marson
Creative Director: Gailen Runge
Art Director: Kristy Zacharias
Editors: Liz Aneloski and Phylis Elving HAPPY CREATING!
Technical Editors: Andrea Bishop and Gailen Runge
I dedicate this book to all of my students, both
Cover Designers: Christina Jarumay Fox and April Mostek
Book Designer: Christina Jarumay Fox past and present. Thank you for giving me this
Production Coordinator: Jessica Jenkins opportunity to share my knowledge with you.
Production Editor: Joanna Burgarino
May you always find the time to enjoy the
Illustrator: Valyrie Friedman
creative adventure.
Subject and Supply Photography by Christina Carty-Francis
and Diane Pedersen of C&T Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise
noted
How-to Photography by Christen Brown, unless otherwise
noted
Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456,
Lafayette, CA 94549
All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the
copyright hereon may be used in any form or reproduced
by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage
and retrieval systems—without written permission from
the publisher. The copyrights on individual artworks
are retained by the artists as noted in Embroidered and
Embellished. These designs may be used to make items Tandletons, 1˝ × 1˝
only for personal use. Donations to nonprofit groups, items
for sale, or items for display only at events require the fol-
lowing credit on a conspicuous label: Designs copyright Hanah Silk habotai ribbon worked into button shapes and
© 2013 by Christen Brown from the book Embroidered embroidered with traditional and raised and textured stitches,
and Embellished from C&T Publishing, Inc. Permission
for all other purposes must be requested in writing from worked in Wildflower threads by the Caron Collection
C&T Publishing, Inc.
Attention Copy Shops: Please note the following excep-
tion—publisher and author give permission to photocopy
pages 66, 89, 96, 116, 141, and 142 for personal use only.
Attention Teachers: C&T Publishing, Inc., encourages
you to use this book as a text for teaching. Contact us
at 800-284-1114 or www.ctpub.com for lesson plans and
information about the C&T Creative Troupe.
iWn eo utar kper ogdreuact cs airse a tcoc uernastuer aen tdh aptr ethsen itnefdo rimn agtoiond ifnacitlhu,d ed SPECIAL
but no warranty is provided nor are results guaranteed.
Having no control over the choices of materials or proce- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
dures used, neither the author nor C&T Publishing, Inc.,
shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect
to any loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by I have been fortunate to have the most wonderful
the information contained in this book. For your conve-
nience, we post an up-to-date listing of corrections on our people helping me throughout the process of
website (www.ctpub.com). If a correction is not already
noted, please contact our customer service department at designing, writing, editing, and photographing this
MY BIGGEST FANS
To my husband, Kevin, and daughter, Gwen,
thank you for your unconditional love and support—
and for allowing me to play in my room.
With love, Christen
Elizabeth’s Garden, 21˝ × 3˝
Silk broadcloth embroidered with silk embroidery ribbon,
silk thread, silk rococo trim, and silk ribbonwork flowers
CONTENTS
DEDICATION AND EMBROIDERY THREADS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . 2–3 AND RIBBONS . . . 25
Floss n Designer and Specialty Flosses
A PASSION FOR EMBROIDERY . . . 6 Twisted Threads n Blended Threads
Metallic Threads
Silk Embroidery Ribbons
STITCHING TECHNIQUES
Designer and Specialty Ribbons n Storage
AND TERMINOLOGY . . . 10
Taming Threads and Ribbons
Four Styles of Embroidery
Using the Stitches Effectively
Stitching Glossary BEADS AND
EMBELLISHMENTS . . . 32
FABRICS, TRIMS, Glass Beads n Beading Threads n Buttons
AND LACES . . . 17 Sequins n Charms n Shisha Mirrors
Choosing Your Materials
Sewing Basics EMBROIDERING
Tools and Gadgets WITH CONFIDENCE . . . 41
Getting Started n Needles and Thread Lengths
Threading the Needle n That Knotty Issue
Working the Stitches n Tools and Gadgets
TRADITIONAL RAISED AND TEXTURED
EMBROIDERY . . . 50 EMBROIDERY . . . 97
The Stitches . . . 51 The Stitches . . . 98
P R O J E C T S P R O J E C T S
Wisteria and Sunflowers Pillow . . . 61 Floral Garden Jewelry Holder . . . 111
Vintage Redressed Wallhanging . . . 67 Framed Lace Wallhanging . . . 117
SILK RIBBON BEAD EMBROIDERY . . . 123
EMBROIDERY . . . 73 The Stitches . . . 124
The Stitches . . . 74 P R O J E C T S
P R O J E C T S Bitty Beaded Beauty Purse . . . 135
Silk Roses Etui . . . 85 Beautiful Beaded Blooms Wallhanging . . . 143
Lovely Silk Gardens Wallhanging . . . 90
GALLERY . . . 149
RESOURCES . . . 158
ABOUT THE AUTHOR . . . 159
A Passion for
Embroidery
My Needlework
Beginnings
I remember sitting alongside my
mom as a kid while she worked
magic with a needle and some
thread or yarn. She was self-taught
in many techniques, including cro-
chet, knitting, and tatting. One of
the skills that she was proficient at
was embroidery, which was the first
needle-art technique that I learned.
From that moment on, not a day
has gone by that I don’t have a
needle in my hand.
The first piece of fabric that I
ever set a needle and thread to
became a small tote bag. My mom
had designed this project for my
Bluebirds group (the junior division
of Camp Fire Girls). We embroidered
a California poppy in bright oranges
and greens on the front of a blue California Poppies tote bag
canvas bag. I still use it for carrying
small projects. Hand embroidery continues to be my favorite form of needle arts,
because of the variety of techniques and materials it encompasses. I often
combine materials, pairing threads with beads, ribbons with threads, and
beads with ribbon. I am intrigued by the variety of colors and textures,
and I love the realistic, dimensional designs that can be created.
6 EMBROIDERED & EMBELLISHED
Stitches from Around
the World
Over the years I have collected many embroidered
textiles; some are stitched by hand, others by
machine. Whenever I find a discarded handkerchief or
table runner at the thrift store, I wonder who made it
and why the family didn’t keep it as an heirloom.
Embroidery and lacemaking continue to be living
art forms because of the creativity of the artists, the
designs, and the materials that continue to be devel-
oped. Every culture has embraced this form of needle
Shisha mirror embroidery, India
arts, creating new stitches and designs unique to that
region of the world and representing the materials
The cross-stitch, so popular today in counted canvas
available there.
work, is used throughout Europe and the Middle East
The very beginnings of embroidery aren’t certain, as a border and fill-in stitch, without the help of a
but what is certain is that embroidery has been used counted canvas or grid.
for almost as long as people have sewn cloth into
clothing. The basic outline, straight, and buttonhole
stitches are some of the earliest recorded stitches,
possibly used at first for garment assembly rather
than for decoration.
The embroideries of the Middle East and India are
known for symbolic geometric forms worked in bold,
rich colors. The chain and buttonhole stitches are
used both as borders and as fill-in stitches, along with
the satin stitch.
Cross-stitch, South Asia
A PASSION FOR EMBROIDERY 7
The satin stitch shows up in rich polychromatic silk
shawls from Spain and China. The artistic use of color
and a single type of stitch throughout a design is
referred to as “needle painting” or “thread painting.”
The satin stitch, void stitch (satin with a thin line
separating the sections), and knotted stitch are liber-
ally used in rich, symbolically themed embroideries
from China.
Kalaga tapestry, Burma
From China, blue fabric satin stitch and Chinese knot, with
chain and outline stitches on the ribbon trim
Laid and couched threads have been used with many
different materials over the centuries. In the begin-
ning, real metal was used to create rich, opulent, and
exquisitely embellished textiles, often incorporating
glass or real jewels. Now the threads are made of syn-
thetic fibers and materials, though they still retain a
rich opulence.
Goldwork embroidery, China
8 EMBROIDERED & EMBELLISHED
Tambour embroidery is a technique that came to us Bead embroidery can be found in both Native
from France. The continuous decorative chain stitch American and African cultures, on garments, accesso-
is worked on fabric held taught in a frame, and is ries, and ceremonial items, often in combination with
formed using a tambour hook. The hooked needle is natural elements such as porcupine quills and shells.
stabbed through the right side of the fabric to catch Especially recognizable is the continuous stitch or
the thread lying underneath. The stitch is formed backstitch, used to cover an area entirely with beads.
with the thread pulled through the hole, forming a
small loop. The needle is stabbed back through the
fabric and through the loop a short distance away to
create each stitch.
Bead embroidery, French
Many different techniques are used to make lace with
fine cotton, silk, or rayon threads—tatting, crochet,
knitting, and needle lace among them. Many of these
methods share common knots, which are similar to
some raised and textured embroidery stitches.
Chain stitch embroidery, Afghanistan and India
This form of embroidery was adapted in the early
twentieth century as a technique for applying pre-
strung strands of beads and sequins to fabric. The
process is reversed, with the strand of beads held
against the right side of the fabric, which is held
upside down in the frame, and the chain stitch on
the wrong side of the fabric.
Vintage laces
A PASSION FOR EMBROIDERY 9
