Silk ribbon embroidery made its first appearance in England in the early 17th century when London dressmakers began copying the French technique of broderie de faveur. The famous French couture house, the House of Worth, increased the popularity of silk ribbon embroidery, when Charles Worth's master embroiderer, Michonet, began using roccoco ribbons to adorn the gowns of the rich and famous. Before that silk ribbon embroidery first adorned the vestments of the clergy. From there it could be seen on the gauntlets of high-ranking soldiers, and then filtered into the fashion arena. During the Industrial Revolution, the Nouveau Riche, did not want to be seen in mass-produced gowns. They changed gowns up to five times a day, so they hired the services of Charles Worth, which spawned the famous couture houses that even today, continue to dress the wealthy and the elite.

   Silk ribbon embroidery has continued to make a resurgence in fashion approximately every fifty years. Fifteen years ago, the Australians began embellishing their items with silk ribbon embroidery. Legend has it, there was a huge tax on floss and fibers coming from Japan into Australia, but no taxes levied on silk ribbons - thus the availability of ribbons in Australia. Australians are the premier needleartists of the globe and pictures of their beautiful work soon filtered into the United States creating a new generation of ribbon embroidery enthusiasts. Today ribbon embroidery is extremely popular in ready-to-wear garments and accessories. All one has to do is open a mail-order catalog or visit a mass merchant. Ribbon embroidery is gracing every item of apparel in a variety of price ranges.

Ribbon embroidery uses the same embroidery stitches that have been popular for hundreds of years - except stitched with ribbons. The most popular width of ribbons are 4mm and 7mm, although larger widths are gaining in popularity. Once you have mastered the Spider web rose and have created floral pieces, you may want to try creating animals and fish with ribbons. In "The New Ribbon Embroidery" there is a whole chapter devoted to animals, fish and bugs with ribbons! There are eight chapters filled with techniques and tips on how to burn ribbons, dye ribbons from recycled old silk blouses, how to stencil, stamp, and create mixed media pieces all with ribbons and a variety of craft materials you may not have thought would work with ribbons.

Click on any Image above, it is a link to Victoria's Stamps Page.

While introducing ribbon embroidery to Britain, I borrowed a English Garden book filled with 1729 engravings of the alphabet, from one of my clients. I took the book back to my studio and adapted the alphabet into a large 6" rubber stamp initials as seen above. The initial is made of flowers using only five easy stitches. Then I worked with a Japanese company to develop an heirloom-quality water-soluble fabric ink. Now my students could stamp the initial of their choice onto fabric. Watch their initial come to life as they stitch the little flowers and then remove any of the visible pattern with a wet cotton swab. Now they had a cushion, or a framed piece, a quilt block or a ring bearer pillow for a special couple. It was the perfect beginner project, that took away the intimidation of stitching with silk and created a beautiful heirloom for future generations to enjoy.

I wrote "The Complete Guide to Silk Ribbon Embroidery" and the following year I wrote "The New Ribbon Embroidery". These books are the only books on the market to feature step-by-step photographs of the most popular ribbon embroidery stitches. They have flexi-back binding, so they will lay flat while stitching.

After spending so much time in Europe introducing ribbon embroidery, my husband developed a plan to keep me on this side of the ocean ! We renovated the second floor of our barn and turned my loft into a Victorian Hideaway. Now women come in from all over the US and internationally, to spend a day relaxing and stitching in my studio. My 2000 sq. foot studio features a large classroom filled with antique tables and all my collections, a fully-stocked emporium, a parlor - complete with fireplace and crystal chandelier, so the students have a place to rest while stitching. We bring in catered lunches and at 4:00 we stop for a typical English tea break complete with scones and finger sandwiches. Victoria Magazine and The Cross-Stitcher Magazine have sponsored nine special events in my studio featuring the Victorian Monogram Initials. The stamps have been so popular, that I added a 2" rubber stamp alphabet for monograms. These stamps are perfect with traditional rubber stamping techniques and work beautifully too with heat embossing velvet.

While researching the history of silk ribbon embroidery, I spent time in Paris at the famous House of Lesage. I received my certification in Couture Embroidery Level I and also spent time in the atelier with Monsieur Lesage, photographing samples of ribbon embroidery executed by Miconet in the 19th century. Monsieur Lesage purchased the famous House of Worth and all the samples in the archives. I am the only American that has ever been allowed to photograph the embroidery pieces housed in the archives. I developed a slide/lecture presentation of my trip to Paris and continue to present this lecture to guilds and trade shows throughout the US and Internationally. Monsieur Lesage realizes that the art of embroidery is waning and was exceedingly gracious in his support of my book, and the inclusion of the history of silk ribbon embroidery.

The first book "The Complete Guide to Silk Ribbon Embroidery" is filled with 25 projects, full-size patterns and I created each project in a recipe format. This way you know exactly how much ribbon you need and how long it will take to execute a project. This is the perfect beginner guide for ribbon embroidery.

In order to make ribbons more available to my students, I developed the RibbonSmyth RibbonClub. Now my students, armed with their own swatch card, which I have produced in Japan, can now order their ribbons through my web site and always have the colors they need on hand. My interest in heritage crafts has allowed me to meet like minds and my Emporium is filled with vintage beads from a Paris Couture house basement, lots of old laces and textiles from are textile mills that are no longer in business. We provide one-of-a-kind embellishments as well as basic supplies that are difficult to find in the mass merchant store.

Should you need more information, please visit our site - www.ribbonsmyth.com or contact me at my e-mail address:victoria@ribbonsmyth.com

I appreciate your interest in this elegant, old needleart. Victoria Brown