samarkand blues

The last of the Samarkand colors arrived today -- so dense and rich! When I design a number of color ways for a ribbon I am not satisfied until I see them all together -- the full spectrum, as it were. So here, with the emerald, sapphire and amethyst to join the ruby, the tiara is complete!

more things to make with ribbon

Here's a beautiful new book: Ribbon: The Art of Adornment by Nicholas Kniel and Timothy Wright (Gibbs Smith, Publisher, $39.95, Hardcover, 224 pages). Nicholas owns the eponymous ribbon boutique, Nicholas Kniel, in Atlanta, a truly scrumptious and sumptuous assortment of ribbons and trims. He was an early supporter of my own ribbon line, and still carries them (though the book is more devoted to the kinds of bows and flowers you can make with ribbon, than to sewing ribbon as a trim). Do check it out! Maili Powell of Soutache in Chicago (see my earlier post) has been using Nicholas's flower designs for a couple of years and they are wonders to behold.

rainy outside, spring in here

Today was not what I would call a lovely spring day unless you are so into the fact that April showers are essential that you don't mind being cold & wet. So I played around with my pale spring green Moonflower ribbons and some pretty print fabric, and then I made little bird sachets (OK silly but sweet) out of the scraps. Their wings are a few of my simpler ribbons like Arabesque and Butterfly.

new damask ribbons

We have been developing a number of damask designs in my LFN Ribbon line lately, with the idea of their usefulness as coordinates to the LFN designs as well as to coordinate with other Renaissance ribbons. Two new designs are the Dots, and Arabesque. At the moment Dots is available in just 2 color ways -- pink & yellow and black & grey, but it will eventually come in colors to match some of the most popular LFN ribbons. Dots echoes the polkadot pattern which is in the background of several of my ribbon designs (Allium, Dandelion, Pansy). Arabesque fits in with the exotic Suzani & Samarkand collections.

Both are 1 1/2" wide and polyester, made in a heavy and lustrous brocaded damask weave. Watch the What's New page at Renaissance Ribbons to keep up with what is coming (or visit my online retailers, via my website)

shopping for ribbons

This morning I mastered the art of inserting a new link into my website for ribbon shopping. As I noted in an earlier post, Renaissance Ribbons now is the exclusive wholesale distributor for my line of LFN Textiles Artist's Ribbons (leaving me free to design and dream and make my artwork). The website continues to offer a very small range of the ribbon in limited quantities, while I send most of my visitors on to the online retailers who carry my entire line. Vogue Fabrics, based in Evanston IL, is a fabulous fabric store that I have been shopping at since I first learned to sew around 1966. They have carried my full line of ribbon for some time and proudly support their "hometown girl" (though I have since moved to rural Indiana). Here is a link to their wonderful store, and you will find Laura Foster Nicholson ribbons in their very own section. I am so proud to be affiliated with Vogue Fabrics!

Click here to shop.