You've probably already noticed how much we love beautiful details and unusual wedding accessories. It seems to us that weddings that have these charming personal “keys” associated with the taste of the couple and their personal vision of the celebration are always especially beautiful. One of our favorite trends is hand-dyed silk ribbons. They conquered the world of wedding fashion just two seasons ago, but today it is difficult to imagine a stylish, sophisticated wedding without them.

Silk ribbons for a bouquet

It would seem that it could be simpler than tape. Ribbons have been tying the legs of wedding bouquets for centuries, and the only question that was raised about them before was “What color ribbon should I tie the bouquet with?” But we, of course, are not talking about such ribbons at all and not about such wedding fashion. Today, ribbons are a real art. Various types of silk are chosen for ribbons, ranging from the familiar chiffon to the mysterious (and beautiful) habotai, mulberry and crepe de chine. They are dyed only by hand and most often with natural or organic dyes. As a result of this entire alchemical process, delightful and amazing strips of the most delicate fabric are obtained, each of which is absolutely unique and inimitable. The artist puts his love, sense of style and work into each ribbon, which means that no one else will ever have the same ribbon as at your wedding.

Why do you need handmade silk ribbons?

The most obvious use of silk ribbons is floral. They will decorate any bouquet, making even a modest and small bouquet truly luxurious and festive. And forget about the fact that the ribbon should “pack” the stem of the bouquet from head to toe, modestly resigning itself to the role of fabric hiding unsightly stems or floral machinery such as wire, etc. Today's silk ribbons are just as full-fledged heroes of the celebration as the beautiful flowers chosen for wedding bouquet. The hand-dyed ribbons are always long, they fall down like an exciting, lightest and finest silk waterfall almost to the very feet of the bride. They should be visible, and, of course, they should match the shades, depth and texture of the flowers in the bouquet. However, silk ribbons do not limit their range of interests only to bouquets. Ribbons are ideal as sophisticated wedding details. They will make your invitations and other wedding printing special and unique. They will make an exceptional pair with an interesting ring box, with the bride's shoes and her jewelry in a detailed photo wedding accessories. That's why silk ribbons have no equal in adding that personalized touch to a fashionable and stylish wedding.

Silk ribbon dyeing and wedding trends

Being a very bright and popular trend, silk ribbons do not limit the scope of their influence either on bouquets, or on printing, or on wedding details. In the coming year, ribbons will also be a stylish addition to the bride's hairstyle, acting as an option to replace the usual tiaras, twisted wire and beaded jewelry, and even flower crowns. Hand-dyed silk ribbons will look beautiful both on loose curls, framing the bride’s head, and will complement braided hairstyles, which are coming back into fashion next year. If you think that a ribbon, even a silk one, is too simple for festive look, then use this trend in your pre-wedding photography of the bride's morning. Inspiration may come from the beloved fairy tale Cinderella, filmed in 2015, where the main character wears a silk ribbon in her hair and looks like a girl from the cover of Italian Vogue, and not at all like a simpleton from the backwoods.

Where to buy silk ribbons?

If you decide that you can’t do without silk ribbons at your wedding, then your concern becomes finding suitable ribbons and purchasing them. It is best to buy silk ribbons on trusted online platforms with a hand-made focus. An ideal option, for example, is Etsy.com, where silk ribbons are sold by European and American craftsmen, or the Crafts Fair, a Russian-language resource for shops located in the CIS. The beauty of buying ribbons directly from a seller is not only that you can read reviews from customers who have already received their ribbons on their store page, but also that you can order an individual color from such sellers if you haven’t found a suitable one in current assortment, or use it to collect a whole set of ribbons that will become a charming addition to your wedding concept. In addition, if you work with a florist whose portfolio includes works in the fine art style, then he will most likely offer you suitable silk ribbons, and in this case you should definitely trust the specialist and his professional opinion.

P.S.

All photographs used in this article show hand-dyed silk ribbons from Hand Made manufacture

The art of ribbon embroidery involves the use of silk ribbons of various colors. However, sometimes it is quite difficult to find the material of the desired shade.

You can often find undyed silk ribbons of various widths on sale. They can be easily dyed at home using special fabric or silk paints.

One of the most important conditions in the process of dyeing ribbons is strict adherence to the manufacturer's instructions. The procedure for painting silk ribbons can be done in two ways, the technology of which is slightly different from each other. Therefore, choose one of them that seems more convenient and affordable to you.

The first method of painting ribbons for embroidery

To complete the work you will need the following types of materials and tools:

• flat brush,
• white ceramic plate,
• a special frame on which you can stretch the ribbon,
• silk undyed ribbons,
• A container with water that is wide enough and convenient to work with.

Progress:

1. Cut the tape to the desired length and thoroughly moisten it in cold water.
2. Blot excess moisture with a paper towel. You should know that the drier the tape, the richer and thicker its color will be when dyed.
3. Place the tape on the edge of the plate and paint with a brush, starting from the very tip. If the tape needs to be painted in two or even several colors, then after using paint of each color, the brush must be washed in clean water and then blot with a paper towel.
4. Leave the painted tape to dry directly on the plate.
5. To fix the paint, it is recommended to iron the tape with a hot iron.

The tape on the frame needs to be pulled tightly enough, but not to such an extent that there are holes from the buttons on it. Then apply paint to the tape with a brush. To obtain a lighter shade, you need to dilute the paint with water. Thus, the tape can even be painted in different shades one color. This technology will allow you to create unique products using.

Dyeing makes it possible to obtain ribbons of the brightest colors

Second coloring method

To complete the job you will need:

• dye for silk or fabric,
• Bowl,
• silk undyed ribbons,
• water,
• wooden stick.

Progress:

1. Wrap the ends of the tape and iron them with a hot iron.
2. Dilute the paint in a bowl. It is better to use a container made of glass or to avoid a chemical reaction. The color of the dyed material will be best seen in a glass bowl.
3. Place the tape in a bowl of diluted paint and stir with a stick.
4. Then remove the ribbon from the bowl and hang it to dry.
5. The dyed tape is ready for creating products in.

The shade can be easily checked by first coloring a small piece of tape in suitable color and wait for it to dry completely. We must remember that the color always becomes lighter as it dries. To obtain lighter, pastel colors, you need to add large quantity water.

You can mix paints to get unusual shades. various colors. But it is better to do this with products from the same manufacturer, so that the paints do not interact with each other. chemical reaction and the result was not exactly the opposite of what was expected.

The tape can be dried in several different ways:

• When drying the tape by weight, the color will be fairly uniform.
• To obtain the best color effect, the tape should be squeezed between the index and thumb and skip, straightening along the entire length.
• When drying the tape gathered into a ball, beautiful stains will appear on it.
• As the tape is dried in the microwave, its color changes sharply from dark to light.

Today we’ll talk about coloring paintings embroidered with silk ribbons. First we need to decide what we are dyeing: fabric, ribbons, or both. Silk textile dye or batik dye has a thin, watery consistency and is therefore easy to apply to leaves or flowers. You can also tint a fabric background with it. There are thicker fabric dyes, but they are better suited not for silk, but for thicker natural fibers. There is also the practice of using wax crayons to tint the background. Any painted element must be ironed with a heated iron to fix the paint and also to prevent shedding. There is a peculiarity in working with wax crayons: after drawing with them, you need to repeat the hot iron several times through a rag pad or any absorbent paper. Then the wax component will be absorbed into the auxiliary paper, and the color fixed with a hot iron will remain on the fabric. Select wax crayons on the website http://www.ru.all.biz/melki-voskovye-bgg1064805 Allbiz.

Mixing paints

Beginners do not have to buy a large set of paints at once. It will be enough to start by buying dark blue, red and yellow colors. Moreover, you can mix silk and fabric paints. When you mix blue and red, you get purple. When you mix red and yellow you get Orange color. And when you mix blue with yellow, you get a bright green color. In any case, before coloring the ribbons, we definitely need to try it on a piece of ribbon and see if we are satisfied with the result. It happens that you need to apply a clear design or speckles to embroidered flowers - then fabric paints will work very well.

Materials and equipment for coloring ribbons

• White ceramic saucer, plate or board for mixing paints; You can purchase a plastic palette for this purpose at a stationery store;
• Two flat hard brushes of different sizes;
• A pair of different-sized round brushes for painting;
• Hair dryer to speed up paint drying and prevent it from spreading over the surface;
• A piece of sponge or the fluffed end of string to blur foliage color.

How to color a white rose embroidered with ribbons?

The greenery is painted with fabric paints.

They are thicker and don't spread as much. Paint is applied to the brush in a small amount and the foliage is gradually painted with a semi-dry brush.

Let's see how to color a rose embroidered with white ribbon. When embroidering, you should try to turn the petals with the matte side outward in order to get rid of excess shine.

Use a wet brush to moisten the rose. If necessary, use a needle to lift the tape. A hairdryer should be at the ready to urgently prevent paint from leaking onto the fabric. Yellowish paint will be applied inside the petal, and the edges of the petals themselves will be pinkish. It is necessary to make paints, that is, mix the desired shades in the palette.

Note: in addition to beauty, tinting imparts rigidity to the product.

You need to put a little light yellow color on the brush and tint the rose in the depths of the petals. Several layers of paint can be applied, but you need to start with the lightest one. Pure white must first be, as it were, “contaminated.” Use a thin brush to paint the petals directly inside. If necessary, repeat the operation.

Now you should make a pale pink paint so that it merges with the yellow. It is necessary to achieve the effect of the absence of sharp transitions. Make the edges of the petals pink. Because the rose is wet, the colors merge and the flower comes to life.

It remains to add a little more pinkish color and the delicate tea rose is ready!

Next, in order to make a brighter edge, The rose is dried with a hairdryer.

Then, to give the rose sophistication, thin dark stripes are drawn along the edge of the ribbon with a semi-dry brush.

The main thing is that this stage is carried out on a dry rose. And pay attention not to take in excess water, and then the paint will not spread anywhere.

What devices and needles are needed for ribbon embroidery were described. I wish inspiration and success to all needlewomen!

We dye silk ribbons.
Necessary materials for dyeing silk ribbons: flat brush- it absorbs less dye and covers better, white plate or tile- on a white background you will see the color better, silk dye- it does not compact the tapes, has a wide palette and long-lasting color, glass of water- for moistening the tape and washing brushes, paper towels- for blotting tape and brushes and yourself silk ribbons!

Sequence of dyeing: cut off the required amount of tape, moisten it with water and blot it with a towel to remove excess moisture, the wetter the tape, the more transparent and paler the color of the dyed tape.
We place the wet tape on the edge of the plate, take out the tip and start painting from it, dipping the brush into the jar of dye. If you want to paint the tape in two or more colors, then after each color, rinse the brush in water and blot it with a paper towel. The tape painted in this way can be left to dry in a “heap” on a plate. After drying, fix the dye with an iron (according to the instructions) and voila! Different ways Drying the tape If you dry the tape by weight, the color will be almost uniform, especially if you squeeze the newly painted tape between your thumb and forefinger and straighten it along its entire length. if you dry it in a “heap”, there will be clearly visible beautiful stains; if you dry it in the microwave, the tape becomes almost spotty with sharp transitions from dark to light tone. Three basic rules for photographing embroidery! Rule one - DO NOT USE FLASH!
Any camera has a function to force the flash to turn off, so when you are going to shoot your embroidery, first of all, turn off the flash! (read the camera manual, chapter "Flash") Rule two - GOOD LIGHT!
For us who do not have special studio lighting, best time The shooting was during the day; it is in natural daylight that all the colors of the embroidery look alive, and in the ribbon embroidery you can see all its volume and the subtlety of the play of light and shadow. The best shots are taken on outdoors(balcony) in diffused lighting. The desire to URGENTLY show off your work cannot be an excuse :)), we love our embroideries and want to show all their advantages, right? (although, if you really really want to show it off urgently, you can shoot in artificial light, but in this case, it is advisable to know such things as setting the ISO number and setting the white balance)
Example of shooting with different conditions illumination

Rule three - DO NOT REMOVE YOUR HANDS!
The ideal option would be to shoot from a tripod using a cable. But we will replace the tripod with a table (chair, stool, stack of books, etc.), the main thing is that the camera is on a stationary surface (the subject of shooting too), and we will replace the “cable” with a self-timer function, this is when you press the shutter button, and The shooting itself takes place in 3 or 10 seconds! (read the manual for the camera, chapter "SELF-TIMEER")

A simplified version of "studio" shooting. We place a sheet of whatman paper, colored paper or background fabric on the table facing the wall (we avoid bright colors and large patterns, they will distract attention from the main subject of photography), we put a support for the embroidery, we install the embroidery itself, it is advisable to install it as evenly as possible so that it did not fall back and was as perpendicular as possible :)) to the table, then we install the camera on the books or box so that all the work fits into the frame and the center of the embroidery is in the center of the picture.

We set the camera to SELF-TIMER mode, focus (press the shutter button not all the way until the green (blue) focus light lights up), press the shutter button and freeze, waiting for the moment to shoot and, lo and behold, the shot is taken! It’s better to do this 3-4 times so that you can then choose the most successful shot. Empty fields on the sides are then cut off in the editor. If there is no free table, the same procedure can be done on any well-lit horizontal plane! (I like to shoot on the balcony on a chair). Equipment for your own studio will cost the cost of a sheet of Whatman paper (10 rubles) + 15-20 minutes of time + the desire to capture your work in at its best!
All the focus is in focus! The most remarkable thing about all digital cameras is the presence of autofocus, and this is not the autofocus of analog point-and-shoot cameras “to infinity”, when all the details in the photo are equally “blurred”, but the most real autofocus on a specific object!! ! Have you noticed how your digital camera “thinks” when you shoot with one click? So, this happens because after pressing the shutter button, the camera first has to expose, focus, and only then actually click the shutter! In order to take a good, sharp shot, first focus the camera on the subject of shooting (this is not done by fully pressing the shutter button), and only then, when you are convinced that the focusing is “correct,” press the shutter button!
(read the camera manual, chapter "FOCUS")

Macro photography. Ribbon embroidery is very interesting to look at up close, which means that to satisfy the viewer’s interest it is necessary to take several MACRO shots. To do this, we switch the camera to macro mode, move it closer to the embroidery, place books to the desired height, zoom (closer) the part and... set the camera to SELF-TIMER mode, focus (press the shutter button not all the way, until the green (blue) focus light will light up), press the shutter button. It’s better to do this 3-4 times so that you can then choose the most successful shot. Macro photography must be done from a tripod (fixed plane)! (read the camera manual, chapter "Macro photography")
Staged photographs. You can take a “staged” photo - a small still life in which main role your embroidery will play! It is important that the “things” added to the shooting are not more active in the frame than the subject itself. In this type of photography you can show all your taste and artistic flair. Practice photographing different objects, look at best combination colors and shapes, and with experience mastery will come to you!
Basics!
Needles for ribbon embroidery and ribbon! In ribbon embroidery, two types of needles are used:
"chenille"- a thick needle with a large eye and a sharp tip, this needle is good for embroidering on fabrics with fine weaving, silk, organza.

"tapestry" or "knitted"- needles with a large eye and a blunt tip, good for embroidering on canvas or rare linen and knitwear.
One end of the tape is cut at a right angle in order to make a flat knot. And the other end is cut obliquely, this will not allow the ribbon to unravel during embroidery!

Flat ribbon knot Carefully wrap the end of the ribbon...
...twice!
Then we pierce in the middle...
... and, holding the folded tip, stretch the ribbon!
The result is such a neat, flat knot!

Securing the tape on the needle Thread the tape into the needle and pull it towards the point of the needle. We pierce the tape two to three centimeters from the tip...
... then, carefully, pull the tape by the long part to the eye of the needle...
...then, pull the short end down, pull it to the end...
... the tape should stitch itself and form a loop like this!
Now your ribbon is firmly held in the needle!
Sequence of embroidery with ribbons In order to start embroidering with ribbons you will need: ribbons, needles, hoops and threads in the color of the ribbons or base - for hemming the tails of the ribbons on the wrong side.
First we embroider all the flowers. If all the flowers are the same color, then you need to start with the outermost flower, gradually embroidering from one edge to the other, trying to make the broaches between the flowers on the wrong side as short as possible (no more than 3-4 cm). If the distance between the flowers is greater, then you should cut the ribbon (1.5-2 cm) and start embroidering another flower from a new knot.
Then we embroider the leaves.
In order not to have to deal with lengthy processing of the wrong side, we grab all the flower tails on the wrong side with a ribbon, which we use to embroider the leaves!!!
A few more stitches and knots and the job is done!
Good luck!

Making a template for embroidery with ribbons It is very convenient to do embroidery using ready-made patterns. You can take a drawing or come up with your own motif and make a template out of it that can be used over and over again! Don’t worry about the monotony of the pattern, because using the same pattern, you can get completely different embroideries, complementing them with beads, changing the color of the ribbon, using different stitches and base!
First, you need to make a drawing or take a ready-made one and mark the stitch points on it...
... then transfer them to a dense base and make punctures at these points with a thick needle.
That's it, the template is ready!
Let's transfer the diagram to the base...
... voila, all that remains is to take a needle and ribbon and begin the most enjoyable process - embroidery!

Currently, you can find satin ribbons of various colors and shades in the retail chain, but products embroidered with hand-dyed ribbons compare favorably with those made with ribbons from the store. Embroidery with homemade ribbons looks more realistic and voluminous.

If we look at any flower or leaf in nature, we will not see two that are absolutely identical in shape and color. Some flowers are located in the sun and their petals are brighter, others are in the shade or have not yet fully bloomed, so they have a different shade from the first.

The second reason why I resort to dyeing ribbons myself is that it is not always possible to choose a ribbon of the desired shade and size in the store.

And if you paint the ribbon in sections, for example, in lilac and blue, this will give the embroidery even more charm.

So let's get started

Materials and tools needed for painting:

1. Satin ribbon (preferable white) tire 0.6-1 cm.
2. Fabric paints - blue and purple (I use acrylic paints on silk "Batik" Decola).
3. Small glass or plastic containers.
4. Disposable syringes.
5. Tweezers.
6. Scissors.
7. A plate and a glass of cold water.

1. Household microwave.

First, cut a small piece of tape to test the saturation of the shade for painting, and dilute the paint desired color to the required shade. To do this, use a syringe to take a small amount of paint (about 0.3-0.5 cubes), carefully squeeze it into a container and dilute it with vodka until the desired shade is obtained. Why vodka, you ask? Vodka dilutes acrylic better and when painting, characteristic stains appear on the ribbons.

We check the readiness of the solution on a test piece of ribbon. If you are satisfied with the shade and intensity of the color, we proceed to dyeing the ribbon necessary for embroidery. Just remember that when it dries, the color becomes a little paler.

Satin ribbon cut into pieces 1.0-1.3 m long and twist it onto the palm of your hand, remove the twist, fold it in half and tie it in the middle with a thread, you get an impromptu bow.

Pour a little vodka into an empty container and wet the ribbon well in it, squeezing it thoroughly. Be sure to wet the tape. During production, the tape is treated with various stabilizing agents, it is simply necessary to remove them, and also - the wetted tape is better colored.

We clamp the moistened and wrung out ribbon with tweezers in the middle, where it is tied with thread, and dip one end into a container with purple paint.

Using tweezers, we try to dip the free ends of the tape. Do not try to immerse the tape in the paint all the way to the binding point; the paint itself will penetrate the wetted tape.

We will paint the second end of the tied ribbon blue, so we will have a sectional dyed ribbon.

This is what we should get in the end.

Place the ribbon on a plate, place a glass with cold water and put it in the microwave.

A glass of water is a necessary attribute of the process. The weight of the ribbon is so small that the microwave, while operating without water, will heat itself, which can lead to its breakdown.

The time for “baking” the tape in the microwave is 2-3 minutes at maximum power.

What does “baking” give us?

This is what we got as a result of “baking”.

Now the tape must be allowed to dry completely and then the thread connecting it must be cut.

This is how the sectional dyeing tape turned out with a transition from light purple to blue and in places to deep blue.

This is embroidery made using dyed ribbon.

Thank you very much for your attention! I will be glad if this master class is useful to you!

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