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Welcome to my Blog. This a place to share and learn all things embroidery. Here I post inspirational stories and free lessons in the form of tutorials and guides. I also share tips, tricks and teach stitches and techniques.

You will also find free patterns and designs for you to unlock your creativity. It is a great place for any creative looking to learn or find inspiration in this art form.

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Recent Posts

Blog > Di van Niekerk hints and tips

Beautiful Ideas for Jewellery with Silk Ribbon

Hi everyone! Did you have a good weekend? Today I have some lovely jewellery-making ideas to show you by the talented Ülle Hummal who hails from amazing Estonia in Northern Europe. Ülle contacted me on messenger and sent some pictures of her lovely work and I was intrigued! Here is one of her beautiful creations…     I asked Ülle to tell me a little about herself and she wrote: “I...

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How to Embroider Long Hair by Di van Niekerk

  Hi, hello everyone! I was asked to write a tutorial about how to make this kind of hair – the long shiny locks of hair like this one in our popular kit “Girl with a Horse”. This kind of hair is easy to make!   . Threads to Use. I find that the Rajmahal Art. Silk threads are ideal for making hair as they are a blend of...

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How to Make Hydrangeas with Silk Ribbon

Hi everyone! I thought I would show you how to make Hydrangeas with silk ribbon, the easy way.   Here is an example of Pink and Blue Hydrangeas and how to make these...   . Start with the pink flowers and use Di van Niekerk’s Silk Ribbon 4mm no. 114 and make loosely wrapped French knots. Wrap the ribbon once around your needle. Change to no. 2mm no. 92...

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How Do I Make Softly Raised Stitches with Silk Ribbon by Di van Niekerk

Hi, hello! Today I am teaching you about creating dimension and softly raised ribbon embroidery stitches. I am often asked why some stitches are soft and rounded, raised off the surface of the design and why some designs look flat and have less dimension. I will show you why. .   . How to Create Pretty Stitches with Silk Ribbon that are nice and rounded, adding texture to your ribbon...

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Handy Hints - How to Make an Embroidered Hat and Basket

  Hi good morning from a sunny Cape Town!  Today I thought I'd show you how to make an embroidered hat and a basket like the two in this design.   It's quite a simple technique yet it has stunning results.  This is from “The Bicycle” design where the hat and basket were made separately and then stitched on to the main design.     Make the Hat On a...

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Learn How to Make Irises

Hello everyone … today I thought I would show you how to make Irises. These are beautiful Irises by Anna Dunaevskaya. .  . ... and this is a short tutorial on how to make one of the most popular flowers for ribbon embroidery! I also wrote some notes for you on a black and white diagram of Anna’s beautiful design. This should help you to see how she made her...

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How to make Berries and Fruit with Silk Ribbon by Di van Niekerk

Hi, Hello from a sunny Cape Town!  I wrote a tutorial about how to make an orange tree. If you look at my New Beginnings sampler below, you will see I used fruit and berries here too. . . In the bird panel, I used the technique to make the pink berries... .  . and for the Erica in this panel, I used the same technique too... . . For...

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Marguerite Daisies in Silk Ribbon Embroidery

Silk Ribbon Daisies See how these daisies are almost life-like in their appearance, raised up off the surface of the design? An as promised I will show you how these daisies are made… .   . How to make Three-Dimensional Daisies in Silk Ribbon Hi, good day from a sunny Cape Town A few weeks ago, I promised to show you how to make silk ribbon daisies with a...

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How to make Oranges and Berries with Silk Ribbon Embroidery

Hi, hello! I promised to show you how to make an orange tree and at the same time, I will show you how to make Forget-Me-Nots or simple daisies. See the RES design below, the second panel on the far right?  . . For my RES book, I show how to make an orange tree in a woven basket and in my New Beginnings design, I show you how...

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Learn how to make cute little flowers with silk ribbon

How to make cute little flowers with silk ribbon   Loop stitch is ideal for making clusters of small flowers. It is an easy stitch to do and French knots are added afterwards to form the stamens.      .  . For this F monogram from my Embroidered Alphabets book, I used loop stitch for the little blue flowers. .      . Step 1. Use 4, 7 or 13mm silk ribbon...

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