Thursday, May 26, 2011

Ribbon Roses

Hello fans!  I'm thrilled to be able to share this project with you today.  It has been absolutely delightful to be part of the May Arts Design Team.  I have a deep passion for ribbon.  Having my own hair bow business and being part of the May Arts Design Team, I have ribbon from my top floor to my bottom floor and still find myself looking at ribbon when I go to the store. May Arts ribbon however is in a class of it's own.  Let me show you just how real ribbon roses can look using some of their extraordinary ribbon. 

First, I will show you how to start your ribbon rose.  It really is pretty simple.
 This stick is a slightly smaller version of your ordinary Popsicle stick.  You can find these at your local craft store. 
Start with the stick at an angle and begin to roll it towards the bottom of your ribbon until the top of the stick is covered by about 1/4" of ribbon. This measurement is only an approximate.  You'll get the hang of it after trying it a few times.


At this point you will fold the top of the ribbon down to cover the stick.
 After folding it down, continue to roll the stick a couple of times to give you the look of the center of a rose.

 While holding the stick you will fold the ribbon away from you as shown above and continue to roll the stick. As the ribbon begins to wrap around, this fold begins to give you the petal look.  You will continue to fold and twist the ribbon back every half to full turn of the stick.





  You will begin to see your flower take shape.  Continue this pattern until desired size of flower.  For this project the ribbon length ranges between 30-48 inches of ribbon for one flower.




You can use sequin pins to pin the flower underneath as you create your petals to help hold the flowers shape.  You can leave the pins in since they won't be seen or you can put glue in between some of the layers and take the pins out.  You can also stitch it with some thread.
The stick and sequin pins help you hold the ribbon and keep the flower more uniform.  Once you have formed the flower you can take the stick out, which is what I have done, or you can leave it in and wrap it with some green floral tape for an arrangement.




 Begin placing the flowers on the wreath to decide how you want to organize them.

This sheer loop ribbon is absolutely adorable and will add a nice elegant touch to your roses.  I definitely want to get more of this ribbon!
 Make 3 bunny ears and wrap some floral wire around the bottom.
For wreath bows I use this wooden "EZ bow maker" I picked up years ago.
 Wire the layers together and cover you wire with some more ribbon in a smaller size.
Now fluff those loops and you'll be set.  You can use fabric stiffener on your bow if you choose to or, what I like to do with my bows is bake them.  Yep, I said bake.  All you have to do is line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, turn you oven to 250 degrees and once it's Pre-heated stick it in the oven for 20-25 minutes.  The heat will set the shape of your ribbon without discoloring it.
Place everything on your wreath until you have it where you want it.  Then begin to hot glue everything in place.  Wire your bow to the wreath and there you have it.  Isn't it darling?  Using different ribbon materials gives the flowers different character.  I love making these with the EN satin/scalloped ribbon.  The scallop gives the flower such a delicate look.



The Ribbons I Used Were:
EN 09,14,17,22  1.5" 
HA 01,09,14,17,22 1.5"
QH 01,09,14,17,22, 1.5" 
367-58-01,09,14,17
XB 17,22 1.5" 
I have often thought a wreath like this would be nice for a funeral in place of real flowers.  This is something that will last forever.


Supplies:

Wreath, ribbon, wire cutters, scissors, glue, sequin pins, sticks, lighter, greenery, other embellishments, and ruler.

I love being able to share my ideas with you and hope you like them as much as I do.  I love hearing your comments too.  I hope you enjoy this week and all the projects of the many talented women.


Cheerio!!  Andrea

Project made for http://www.mayarts.com/blog/













2 comments:

  1. What a great tutorial. thanks.

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  2. Just wanted to tell you that hands down this was one of THE BEST entries.. I love this. It took an incredible amount of work. Great job.

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