SRE Basket

Silk Ribbon Basket done with simple Lasy Daisy flowerheads and Straight Stitch leaves. The embroidery work is also simple...French knots, chain stitch, back stitch, stem stitch, and straight stitch. Here is the chart, and I'll include photos of my progress.

First, I wanted to print this on fabric...and started to do muslin on freezer paper. But, then I decided on a piece of moire...however, it was too thick to run through the printer. I removed the paper...and just ran the fabric through. It slipped and slid...and I do not recommend doing that. I lucked out and still got a usable image, so I'm stitching over it. But, I was so scared when it started to shift going through the printer rollers! So, don't try this at home. Here is the chart printed on the moire. 

The basket began with the long straight stitches for the vertical basket lines. Then the horizontal lines were another long straight stitch, woven under/over the previous vertical lines stitched.

The last basket layer was the same process as above, but for the diagonal lines. Next the bottom was chain stitched and the sides were back-stitched.

The top and handle of the basket was four pieces of size 8 perle cotton, lain along the shape of the basket and couched in place with a single strand of the same perle. I used two needles...one really large one to hold the 4-strands...needle up at the start and down at the end. In between...I couched with the second needle.

Then came the French Knot flowers and stem stitch vines

Lastly, the bow. I thought I'd tie a simple bow of silk ribbon and couch it down with some beads...but, then I remembers that I have some really bright blue fiber. So, I couched it in place instead. 

This completed the embroidery portion. The silk ribbon work was easy to do, and is seen in the first photo.I think this design could just as easily be done in satin stitch work too.