Cosmos in Silk Ribbon Embroidery

Cosmos Flowers are stitched using

Dinky Dyes Argyle  7 mm. Silk Ribbon


I must apologise for the delay in getting this tutorial
online.  My left index finger had a slight mishap with
a sharp knive, thus removing a piece of skin.
Needless to say you probably all have tried to work
with a sore finger and bandaid, but for me does not
give the best results. 

Sunflowers and Cosmos are two flowers which come to
mind for this effect.  When you are replicating a flower with a raised centre, in the case of  Cosmos, Dahlias, Daisies etc. the pistils in the centre of the flower are quite prominent.

Firstly, decide on the size of the full flower, sketch it onto the fabric. Leaving an inner circle.

To create these pistils the easiest I find is to use a small square of calico, placed very firmly and taut in an embroidery hoop.

With a pencil make a circle the size that you wish for the centre

of the flower, allowing a little extra to cover where the ribbon

petals have begun.

You now have 2 Options:

1.  French Knots in Embroidery Thread.

2.  Small seed beads.

    

1.   Mark a circle the required size on calico.

2.  Fill this area with French Knots, using Embroidery Thread.  In this eg. 2 strands

of thread and 3 wraps of the needle for each one.

With 7 mm. Ribbon construct the Flower Petals in Ribbon Stitch. Work clockwise

overlapping each one.  In the case of the Cosmos Flower keep the tip as rounded as possible Whereas if it was a 

Daisy or Sunflower they would be finer and more pointed.

3.  Mark another circle outside of this to give you a gathering line.

Thread a needle with a double sewing cotton to match the yellow.

You may wish to cut the calico into a smaller piece at this point, so as it will not be too bulky when set down in the flower .

Gather the calico up with the thread and sew

down the fabric as flat as possible. ( As you

would when covering a button. )

                                        

                                                                                 

4.  With this needle still attached, take it

through the centre of your ribbon petals

and stitch it  down firmly.

Should you feel there are some empty

spaces, add a few more French Knots in the Yellow Embroidery Thread.

5.  Next step if you wish to show the stems, add this with twisted 4 mm.couched down in places to stop it 

unravelling.

The buds are Ribbon Stitch in 4 mm. Yellow

with  Green 4 mm. Calyx.

The leaves I have stitched using 4 mm. Green

in Ribbon Stitch, by completing it the same

way as you would with a Satin Stitch Leaf.

( They could also be a simple Ribbon Stitch

or made from Embroidery Thread. )

I shall be away next week for a holiday

staying with friends in Alice Springs the Red Centre

of Australia.  Hopefully I will be able to show

you many photos of the wildflowers following

the heavy rains they have received.

Happy Stitching till next time.

Carol Daisy