A rose by any other name...

This month I chose the Twirled Ribbon Rose. I found instructions for it Here but you have to scroll down the page for it. I learned mine from the A-Z of Ribbon Embroidery book which is one of my favorites. Click Here for a great tutorial by Leslie S.
My first and second attempts didn't turn out and if you look closely at the photo you'll see what looks like 2 little seed stitches...LOL...those are my first two tries! I couldn't really get the hang of it I think I'd need to practice it more to get really good results. I also tried it in 7mm silk ribbon and it was still just as elusive to me. The other thing I don't really care for is that you have to make tacking stitches with a matching thread so that the rose stays in place. Overall I don't think I'll be using this one very much since I love the sweetheart rose so much and it seems easier to me. I can see that it could have it's uses though.
I always believe that it's good to try new things, but you don't have to stick with something you don't like...that's the beauty of just giving it a try because you never know what you will love or not care for unless you explore!
So go give it a try who knows you may love this rose!

A rose by any other name...

For the rose challenge this month I chose the Sweetheart Rose. Also known as the colonial knot/running stitch rose or french knot/running stitch rose. Sometimes it's referred to as the Fargo rose but it's made a little differently than the Fargo flower which starts it's running stitch from the base of the ribbon coming out of the fabric instead of closer to the needle end of the ribbon right after the knot.

Click Here for my video tutorial of the Sweetheart Rose

Click Here for instructions on how to create this rose from CQMagOnline

Click Here for Jo in NZ's

My reference for the Fargo flower is from Judith Baker Montano's book Floral Stitches on page #94

I like to create the sweetheart rose with a colonial knot and I like to zig-zag from edge to edge with my running stitch as I make mine.
I'm going to try using a bead instead of the colonial knot and I'd also like to try the real Fargo flower to really see a difference.

When I first learned to do it I found it easier to do in 7mm silk ribbon but now it is just as easy in 4mm silk ribbon like you see in the photo. Although it can feel tricky to learn at first once you know how to create this rose it becomes a very fast and easy rose to make. It's nice and tiny and is great for filling spaces too.

Here are my results! The Fargo Flower is more of a flower than a rose and would look nice as Marigolds or even a small Carnation. Then for the Sweetheart roses I tried from left to right a zig-zagged running stitch, then I made one with a pearl bead in place of the knot. I did that by bringing my needle and ribbon to the top of the fabric and then unthreaded the needle and took a piece of beading thread and looped it around the ribbon then threaded both ends into the pearl bead then I slide the bead down onto the ribbon rethread my needle and treated the pearl bead like the knot and started the zig-zag running stitches after it. I like the way it looks, it takes more time to do it since you have to add the bead but it wouldn't deter me from using it in small amounts. Then I made one by turning the ribbon around with each running stitch like in Jo's tutorial, and lastly I make a sweetheart rose by doing the regular running stitch instead of zig-zagging it.
I also tried out the Twirled Ribbon Rose and left it in the photo for comparison. The Twirled Ribbon Rose is the next rose in the Rose Challenge!

A rose by any other name...

Well it has been a long time since I have done the Rose Challenge. I've been thinking that it needs to be monthly instead of weekly because of Take A Stitch Tuesday. It would just be too much to add learning how to stitch a new rose every week also. So my rose for January will be the Melanie Rose
(It's been so many years since this was published that you might have to Google search for instructions on how to make it.*Mar2023)

Here are my results! I think it is a more advanced SRE rose but don't let that stop you from trying it out. It uses basic stitches but the looseness and amount of twisting is something you need to play around with to get this rose just right. Don't be discouraged if you flop when you first try it out, keep going continue to practice learning from each one you try. As you do this you will be learning it and once you learn it, it will become easy to you and the rose will be mastered.

On #1 the stem stitching was twisted a little oddly and the first part was a little odd too. #2 I made the stem stitching too loose and it was overly loopy and looked a little disproportionate. #3 was better but I made the first section with the straight stitches and ribbon stitches too tight compared to the looseness of the stem stitches. #4 I love! I made the ribbon stitches looser and the stem stitching I tried to keep just right and keep re-twisting the ribbon as I went.

Here are some tips that helped me:

1. Keep practicing learning from each one as you go. Think up your own tips for yourself as you go.
2. You may need to re-twist the ribbon during stem stitching (counter-clockwise)

***Update 20 Feb. 2007***
Here is a finished motif using the Melanie Rose! I put a foundation of feather stitches and then added lazy daisy leaves and Melanie roses.
Click on the photo to see it larger.

A rose by any other name...

For the rose challenge this week, I choose the spider-web rose. I know it's a tried and true favorite, but I wanted to test out some different ideas with it.

The first is a Large rose, I put a ruler in so you can see the size of it. First I wove a 4mm solid silk ribbon and then I wove 7mm variegated silk ribbon around that. Being that it was so large it needed to be tacked down so it wouldn't pull out. I'd also suggest trying a 7 spokes wheel instead of 5 as well. Then I added yellow french knots and beads to the center.

The next rose, I wove a normal spider-web rose in 4mm, but after I took 7mm and worked the chain stitch all the way around it. Then I added beads to the middle. I think it makes a nice plump ruffly rose.

Then with the next rose I wove 4mm part way then 7mm the rest. Then I took 7mm and worked the chain stitch three quarters around, then I added loops. I added beads to the middle and to top it off I made a few loose ribbon stitch petals that have fallen from the rose in 7mm.




The next to last rose I used an awl and poked a hole in the middle of the wheel and added a tiny folded center, then I wove 7mm around that.









The last rose, I just added since I got the idea from Eve, over at the Hand Embroidery Group. I used a fuzzy yarn with gold seed beads. It looks kind of Christmas-ish, also kind of looks like a birds nest! LOL

A rose by any other name...

Over at the Hand Embroidery Group we've been talking about starting some challenges. I've been thinking about starting a weekly(update*now monthly) rose challenge to push myself to learn different ways to embroider roses. I don't know about you but I never tire of roses and I figure the more the merrier! I've also noticed that the more you learn the more creative you can be. So each week(month) I am going to learn and share a different rose, and try out different variations. I'm not sure how long I'm going to do this for. I thought it would be fun and give me a bigger tool box of roses to create. Anyone is welcome to join me. I can't wait to see what I create and also anyone else who would like to do it too. I'm calling it "A rose by any other name" because they all look just as sweet!