Monthly Archives: August 2022

Ribbon Embroidery on a Photograph

Ribbon Embroidery on a Photograph

I am taking a class on Domestika on embroidering on photographs. I have thought for years of printing photographs on fabric and then embroidering details. I never thought about embroidering on the actual photograph until I found this class.

So, here I go. I didn’t have shades of orange in my ribbon stash, but I did have yellows and 2 shades of orange Sharpies!

I stitched my first flower. Can you tell?

I learned several things:

1. Premium photo paper is tough. Even with pre-punching holes for my stitches, it’s very much like hand sewing leather. (Flashbacks to sewing ribbons on my daughter’s ballet shoes.)

2. This is an inkjet copy. The ink rubs off on your hands AND your ribbon.

3. This technique requires a lot of photo handling. A big border is essential. So is a white cotton glove on your non-dominant hand. It prevents fingerprints. (Due to #2, the glove doesn’t stay white.)

I stitched my glove several times. Better the glove than my finger!
I got quite a bit done, tonight, but it’s hard to see. I think that’s a good thing!