Braided Cotton (formerly Ribbon Floss Cotton) is a softly braided organic cotton tape, hand-painted in Germany so every skein is truly one of a kind. Its painterly, non-repeating colors—sometimes with tiny contrasting specks—make it perfect for adding rich texture. Use it ruched, flat, or like ribbon in a variety of stitches—especially for beautiful, dimensional stems.
For Braided Cotton stems, you'll need the following:
- We used Braided Cotton Georgia for this example
- Chenille #18 needle
- Pins
- Scissors
- You can use any embellishment thread you like to tack your stem down with embellishment stitches.
- Creative Stitching Book
- This is optional. If you would like to tack down your stem with stitches you can't see, using wool thread will blend well with the matte finish of Braided Cotton.
To begin your stem, decide the length you would like it to be. For a ruched stem, you'll need your Braided Cotton to be cut to three times the length you've chosen. For example, if you would like a four inch stem, you'll cut 12 inches.
Thread your Chenille #18 needle as you would any thread, by pinching the end between your thumb and forefinger and bringing the eye of the needle to the end.
Knot your thread by doing a quilter's knot. Only wrap your Braided Cotton one or two times, since it is very thick and may be hard to pull to the end if you wrap it too much and will leave a bulky knot.
Bring your needle to the front of your work.
TIP: If you're having trouble bringing your needle through the wool, make sure the working thread and thread tail aren't twisted or bunched up. The smoother and flatter the thread is, the easier you can bring it through.
If you want your stem to be flat, lay it out and pin it where you would like it to be placed, then tack down with your choice of thread. When pinning, make sure you pin over, not through your stem, as to not rip or put a hole in it. Skip this step for now if you're ruching your stem!
For a ruched stem, unthread your needle. With the tip of your needle, separate the individual threads within your Braided Cotton.
Select one of the individual threads and pull it out from the rest with your fingers, or tweezers. Hold onto your Braided Cotton to ensure only one thread gets pulled out from the rest.
Continue to hold the individual thread you selected, and pull the rest towards your project.
Once your stem is as ruched as you would like, use the back of your needle to fix and adjust the ruching where needed.
Pin your stem in place. Once again, pin over and not through your stem. Then, tack your stem down with the thread and stitch of your choice.
Inspiration
To give you a little inspiration on ways to use Braided Cotton, we put together some of our favorite examples for you!
Braided Cotton Grandma Moses attached with French Knots and Beaded Drizzle Stitches
Braided Cotton Grandma Moses attached with French Knots
Braided Cotton Van Gogh attached with French Knots
Braided Cotton Niki attached with French Knots, Bullion Knots, Fly Stitch
Braided Cotton Grandma Moses attached with Ellana wool thread, Bullion Knots, French Knots
Braided Cotton Gauguin attached with Ellana wool thread
Left: Braided Cotton Rousseau attached with French Knots.
Middle: Braided Cotton Aruba attached with French Knots.
Right: Braided Cotton Grandma Moses attached with French Knots and Pistil Stitches.
Braided Cotton Aruba attached with French Knots
Braided Cotton Rousseau attached with Bullion Knots.
Closed Fly Stitch with 3.5mm Silk Ribbon Hosta Garden.
Braided Cotton Chagall attached with French Knots
Braided Cotton Grandma Moses attached with French Knots
Closed Fly Stitch in Braided Cotton Macke
Twisted Fly Stitch in Braided Cotton Macke
Turkey Work (uncut) using Braided Cotton Georgia
Detached Chain Stitch using Braided Cotton Wilhelmina