Dimensional Rose Topiary

Steps:

1. Center topiary trunk ribbon on the background fabric.

2. Cut out planter out of fabric and pin in place on background fabric. Applique.

3. Cut assorted leaves from leaf fabric, allowing a 1/8-inch seam allowance around each leaf. Pin leaves in place on the background fabric. Applique.

4. Swirl the silk cording around the trunk to form tendrils. Glue-baste the cording in place. Tack cording from the back with tiny whip stitches.

5. Cut one yard of one-inch wide wire ribbon for each of the 12 large roses. Cut 1/2 yard of 5/8-inch-wide wire ribbon for each small rose. Choose a variety of colors. See rose instructions below. Return to this step after roses are made. To form the rose bouquet, first place larger roses at center and then surround these roses with the smaller roses.

6. Gently cradle all roses together with your hands so a perfect circle is formed. Roses should fill all the available space in the circle.

7. Mark tiny pencil marks just along the perimeter of the roses for reference in placing lace.

8. Place roses aside keeping in order of placement.

9. Fan and pleat lace in a circle so it lies an inch beyond where the roses will lie.

10. Machine-sew lace in place making sure that stitching will be covered by roses. Hand-tack lace edges.

11. Re-position roses on lace in a circle.

12. Reach behind the background fabric with one hand and pin roses in place.

13. Roses will be tacked in place with stick-and-stab stitches hidden in the folds later.

14. Make seven dimensional leaves.
a. For each leaf, fold a two-inch piece of wire ribbon in half to mark the center with a fold.

b. Bring the top right corner and then top left corner of ribbon down along the fold.

c. Gather across the long edge catching all layers.

d. Pull the gathers so a plump, almond-shaped leaf is formed. Knot off.

15. Evenly space the seven leaves around the roses with woven wire edges of the ribbon facing up. Take hidden tack stitches in the woven edges to secure leaf to fabric.

16. To tack roses in place, place a 10-inch embroidery hoop around the rose bouquet. Take enough hidden stick-and-stab stitches in each rose so it will not move.

17. Square up the finished top and add borders.

The Classic Folded Rose

1. Hold the Spindle in the left hand. Pass the ribbon from right to left through the pin making sure the bottom edge of the ribbon rests on the top of the wood at all times.

2. Fold down the ribbon tail and tape tail to Spindle.

3. Using the left hand, turn the Spindle from left to right continuously three times to create the twirled rose center bud.

4. With the right hand, fold ribbon backwards on a sharp, crisp 45-degree angle and crease the fold.

5. Spin the Spindle a 3/4 turn from left to right bringing the ribbon up and out to the side.

6. Continue spinning and folding the petals of the rose until all the ribbon has been used.

7. Pull the pin and remove the rose from the Spindle.

8. Twist the two tail ends together temporarily.

9. Sew through the base of the rose and take tack stitches up through the folds of the rose and back down. Knot.

10. To place the roses on a quilt or on clothing that will be laundered, slightly flatten the rose. Take stick-and stab stitches up through the many folds of the rose to hold it securely to the fabric.

Scalloped Petal Rose
1. Follow steps 1-5 for the Classic Folded Rose. Make three backward fold turns.

2. After the last fold, with a double thread in a milliner’s No. 9 needle, sew through the base of the forming flower while it is seated on the Spindle. Knot off and cut the thread.

3. Lay the Spindle (with the rose still on it) down on the table. Starting at the far end of the ribbon, mark a chalk mark every three inches long the remaining ribbon.

4. In each three-inch section, gather in a U-shaped pattern. Pull the ribbon after stitching each u to form petals.

5. Pull the petals very tight. The finished petals should measure five inches long.

6. Wrap these petals in two rows behind the center bud.

7. Take a few stitches to secure the ending petal to the rose. Knot off.

8. Pull pin and remove rose.

9. Take additional stick-and-stab stitches through the folds of the flower when the rose is stitched to the quilt.

Twirled Silk Ribbon Rose
1. Thread silk ribbon through the needle locking the ribbon into the eye. To do this, pierce one end of the ribbon with the needle and pull on the opposite end of ribbon.

2. Place a small embroidery hoop around the fabric.

3. Bring the ribbon up through the fabric and hold it outward very tautly.

4. Twirl the needle between the fingers while holding the ribbon outward until a very tight long, straight cylinder is formed.

5. Still holding the needle in one hand, pinch the ribbon cylinder in half with the other hand.

6. Place the needle into the fabric just two threads away from where the ribbon originated and allow only the eye of the needle to stick out of the fabric.

7. Let go of the ribbon with both hands allowing it to twirl together.

8. Carefully draw the needle through the fabric and watch the rose magically form!

9. Pull the ribbon slowly and gently into the desired size. If the ribbon is pulled too far, the rose will be lost. With practice, you will know when to stop pulling to form that perfect rose.

Ruffled Silk Rose
1. Fold one end of 1-1/2-inch wide ribbon in half along its length and place a straight pin in the folded ribbon 3 inches in from the beginning edges.

2. Have a milliner’s no. 9 needle with a doubled thread, knotted and parked nearby.

3. Fold down the beginning of the fold on a 45-degree angle leaving a 1/2 inch tail hanging down.

4. Grasp the tail end and loosely roll the folded end toward the straight pin.

5. Pull the pin out and run it through the bottom of the forming bud.

6. Snip the tail end off the bud.

7. Take three whip stitches through the bottom of the bud and knot off.

8. Working from the opposite end of the ribbon, gather down the short raw edge and continue gathering along the long raw edge along the entire length of ribbon right up to the bud. Pull gathers tight, staying 1/8 inch away from the raw edges at all times when gathering. Knot.

9. Position the raw edges of the bud inside and lined up with the raw edges of the gathers. Whip stitch the raw edges of the bud to the raw edges of the gathers.

10. Make sure the gathers will encircle the bud.

11. Grasp the raw edges in one hand and the working thread in the other. Wind the working thread three times tightly around the gathers staying just 1/8 inch in from the raw edges.

12. Pull very tight and make a securing knot.

13. Adjust gathers making sure that the beginning and ending tails overlap.