Sara,
 SG³ How could you refer to ribbon embroidery as being harder than stamping.
      Because I am just learning how to do it and I've never seen it done
so it seems real hard to me.  I remember when I started stamping it was
the same way.  Everyone here taught me how to do it though and when I
wanted to stop because I didn't like the way my stuff was turning out
they encouraged me to keep on going.  I guess it's always like that in
the beginning.
 It's a lot of fun when you get the knack and much easier to show off and
 SG³ wear.  Make the stitches as loose as you can tolerate and it will look
 SG³ good.
    I can't wait until I can do some stitching on a wearable so I can show
it off.  I'm afraid I'm a long long way from that though.
 SG³ I'm not sure which stitch is referred to as a twisted rose.  Maybe it's
 SG³ better to start with a woven rose.
  The spider web rose that your referring to seems to be the easiest.  It
looks really nice when done in varigated ribbon too.  The hardest part of
this sticth for me is getting the five points stitched evenly.  After that
it is fairly easy and loads of fun.
Rather than try to tell you myself in my own misunderstood way what a
twisted ribbon rose is I'm going to copy an instruction I have that is
"suppossed" to tell me how to do it.  See if you can do it.  Every time
I try I end up with the entire rose pulling through.
MJ'S TWISTY ROSE by "Creative Beginnings"
Bring needle up at A.  Extend ribbon it's full length and twirl needle
so that ribbon coils up well, but not so tight that it buckles.  The amount
of twist is critical.
Gently grasp the twist at about the midpoint and insert needle back into
fabric just beside from A.  Insert needle until only the eye sticks up
through the fabric.  Release the ribbon and it will automatically
twist itself into a double coil.  Gently smooth the entire length of the
twisted ribbon and pull the needle through to the underside of the fabric.
Pull the ribbon through the fabric and the ribbon will magically bunch up
into a rose.  Allow some of the bunched ribbon to remain on the surface as
a Twisty Rose (how much is left determines rose size).
Use matching color of sewing thread t take a stitch up through the center
and back down again, to tack the rose securely.  Make tiny stitches to tack
the twisted petals in place, as the rose may unwind itself.
=snip=
Now you have the same instructions as I have.  Let me know if your are
successful.  I find getting that needle up through the center and back down
again (if I get that far) is very difficult without unraveling the rose.
One more question and then I'll stop.  I find myself when doing ribbon
embroidery (as little as I've done) making up stitches to fill in places or
using a different stitch than the pattern calls for.  Is it o.k. to invent
stitches?  I feel like such a cheat but if it works I leave it just so that
I won't get mad.  Lots of times I pull out the stitches and start over and
over.  Then sometimes I get mad and just invent my own stitches.  Of course
being the perfectionist I am I never like the project when I feel like it
has stitches that aren't "real" ribbon embroidery stitches.
val.............
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 þ JABBER v1.2 þ If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving isn't for you
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