Stitch Instruction

Starting and Stopping

The fact that River Silks silk ribbon does not run permits us to develop techniques not possible with other silk ribbon, ribbon-like materials or threads. This starts with threading the needle. You can dispense with your needle-threader! Also you will not need to fold the ribbon to try to wedge it through the eye. There is an easier way.

Threading the needle:

Use a piece of 4mm ribbon 2 to 3 feet in length. Cut the ribbon on the diagonal and put the point of the ribbon through the eye of the needle. Pull the ribbon through about 3 inches. Now put the needle through the ribbon at about a half-inch from the point of the ribbon. Pull on the long end of the ribbon to secure the ribbon to the needle. This called the "Needle Eye Lock Stitch".

Securing ribbon to the canvas:

Bring the needle up through an empty hole where you want to begin. Pull the needle and ribbon through the canvas leaving about a one-inch tail of ribbon on the back of the canvas. With a finger press that tail flat against the canvas. Go back down through an adjacent hole passing through both the canvas and the ribbon tail. Try not to stitch through your finger! With your finger still pressing on the tail pull the needle and ribbon through the canvas and keep pulling until the ribbon is secure on the canvas. Check the back of the canvas to see that there are no loose ends. This is called the "Canvas Lock Stitch".

I ran out of ribbon. Now what?

When you need to add more ribbon to continue stitching or to change color or width of ribbon use this easy technique. Select your new piece of ribbon and secure it to a new needle using the "Needle Lock Stitch" described previously. On the wrong side of the canvas cut the ribbon you had been using (removing the old needle) leaving about a 1 1/2 inch tail. Hold that tail and pierce it with your new needle and ribbon very close to the surface of the canvas, keep pulling the new ribbon leaving another 1 1/2 inch tail. Put that tail over the next hole that you want to stitch and put the needle through that new tail and the canvas. Keep on pulling until secure. Turn the canvas to the right side and continue stitching. You may trim those tails to a half-inch as desired.