Knitting Projects and Contest

After reading A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber several years ago, my sister-in-law and I got hooked on reading all of her books. The main character in her books owns a small yarn shop and has various entertaining adventures.

Charlotte and I absorbed about a quarter of Macomber's more than sixty books. Then, lo and behold, guess what Charlotte and I took up after a long respite? … You guessed it, KNITTING!

Debbie Macomber has five knitting project books out now that are on my current Amazon Wish List.

Here is a link to those booklets: Debbie's Projects

You can check out this author and all of her books on her website: Debbie Macomber

And, she has a contest….

Take a stroll down Debbie Macomber’s famed Blossom Street this month, where the grand prize winner will receive a copy of The Shop On Blossom Street, A Good Yarn, Back On Blossom Street and an advance reading copy of the latest Blossom Street title,Twenty Wishes and much, much more...

The drawing will take place Thursday, April 24, 2008, just before Debbie departs on her 20-city Twenty Wishes tour.

Here is the website to enter: Contest

Just sign in to her guestbook, and you will be entered into the drawing.

Good luck to all entrants!

Silk Ribbon Embroidery - Covered Buttons

Thinking I would like to embellish a few vintage vests which I previously sewed, (referring to March Post), it seemed a natural fit to incorporate ribbon embroidery onto buttons.

This site: Purl Bee ...shows in great detail how to make a covered button. It is a very complete and easy-to-read tutorial which I highly recommed taking a look at. A picture of completed buttons is shown at right, taken from the Purl Bee citation.

Ribbon embroidery can be used for decorating articles of clothing, sachet bags, purses, etc. It certainly gives a distinctive touch to any lingerie, outer wear, or craft item.


On the left is a picture of a few silk ribbon birds which I made for a size 36 (7/8”) button cover. I thought they would be in proportion to the button, but after I put these onto the button covers, they were WAY too large.




Then I decided that what was needed was to make much smaller silk ribbon birds in order for them to fit onto individual button covers.

The smaller birds shown in the image (right side) can more deftly be wrapped around the button cover.

Using examples from the book An Encyclopedia of Ribbon Ebroidery by the American School of Needlework (1996), these replicas of American Goldfinches worked much better.

I will show a picture of the completed button once I get several more embroidered. But for now, the vest needs to be completed so these buttons can be added to it!

Silk Ribbon Embroidery

“Embroidery…the word conjures up so many visions and memories for me: crewel wool pomegranates flowing across an eighteenth century bedspread in Balmoral Castle;…” Judith Baker Montano (1995)

This book, Elegant Stitches, was my first reference book on the subject of embroidering with silk ribbon. Embroidering with ribbon was very popular about 10-12 years ago (who knows, maybe it is still in vogue).

I loved the idea of beautiful colors creating a landscape though various types of knotting ribbons, as well as threads. Ms. Montano explains and gives examples of over a hundred types of stitches in her book. The book is a real keepsake not only for the knowledge it imparts, but also for the gorgeous illustrations.

Silk ribbon embroidery can be used for decorating articles of clothing, sachet bags, purses, etc. It certainly gives a distinctive touch to any lingerie, outer wear, or craft item

My mother-in-law sewed pretty mauve ribbon roses on the sachet bag (left foreground) shown in this picture:

More about Silk Ribbon Embroidery in next post.