Primroses & Violets by Di van Niekerk

Ribbon embroidery is back! More and more projects are appearing and they are just getting better and better. If you don’t believe us, then one look at Primroses & Violets by Di van Niekerk from Inspirations issue #115 will be enough to convince you.

This is ribbon embroidery at its finest from one of the most talented ribbon embroidery designers around. Di van Niekerk has been designing stunning embroidered pieces for over 30 years. She has a broad range of skills and talents, being adept at techniques like threadpainting and stumpwork among many others.

But she is probably best known for her gorgeous ribbon embroidery projects, many worked on the most beautiful printed background panels imaginable.

She has authored more than fourteen books on various different needlecrafts and has her own range of hand-dyed silk and organza ribbons, as well as one of the largest ranges of printed panels ready for embroidery that we’ve ever come across.

Primroses & Violets showcases Di’s style in all of its glory. This beautifully dimensional study is worked on a delicately printed linen panel. It makes use of stumpwork techniques, with the teacup, saucer and glass forming detached elements that are embellished with embroidery and gold stitching to give an opulent finish. They are then added to the panel, leaving the top part open so you can add the cascade of silk ribbon blooms.

The plump petals of the primroses and the rich purple violets are all worked in beautifully shaded silk ribbon. The highly realistic, three-dimensional effect is just stunning, with each individual petal differing from all the others.

The flowers are finished with French knot centres and leaves and buds are included to set the bouquet off. By selectively adding to the panel, with some parts stitched over completely, and others left in their natural state, the viewer is teased into believing they’re looking at a real bouquet rather than one stitched onto a two-dimensional plane.

It won’t take you long to fall in love with the process, understanding where to add embroidery, where to add ribbons, and where to leave the printed linen exposed for the best effect.

We are confident that once you’ve stitched Primroses & Violets, you’ll put all other projects aside and hunt for more silk ribbon designs. The results of this fabulous technique really do speak for themselves.

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Primroses & Violets by Di van Niekerk is a sumptuous silk ribbon embroidery brought to life with dimensional silk ribbon and layering techniques.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Primroses & Violets includes everything* you need to re-create this delightful silk ribbon embroidery: Printed fabric panels, fabrics, fabric stabiliser, wires, stamens, yarn, silk fibre, silk ribbons, embroidery threads, beads, and needles.

*Please Note: To cater for flexibility of purchase, instructions are not included with our kits. For step-by-step directions on how to create this project, please refer to the magazine/digital pattern.