Ribbon Roses

   It's Veterans day and I am so thankful for it. I'm thankful for the day off, but more importantly I'm thankful for the brave men and women who leave, and have left,  their homes and loved ones to protect our freedom.  God bless our the troops and their families.

   On a less serious note, a day off definitely calls for some crafting. One of my friends has been wanting to know how to make the ribbon roses I've used on so many different projects. I figured that perhaps other people would like to know as well so, why not share a little tutorial on here?

   I actually learned how to make these roses in Colonial Williamsburg. Sometimes in one of those old, historical houses there will be a craft going on and these roses seem to be a favorite. I used the technique I learned there and then added a little of my own spin on it.

Ribbon Roses
You will need
-ribbon (about a yard)
-thread
-a needle
I found all of my supplies at Dollar Tree

   To begane unroll the ribbon but do not cut it. Not cutting it helps you avoid coming up short while you're making your rose. Now sew a knot at the end of the ribbon and began stitching down the middle. I used a contrasting color of thread for this tutorial but it's best to use thread that matches your ribbon.

   I've found it's best to stitch a few inches then push the ribbon down the thread to gather it and then repeat.

 

   Now that you have enough gathers, sew the two ends together so that it forms a cute, little circle and cut off the extra ribbon. Although it's adorable at this point, it looks more like a wreath than a rose so you'll need to make another using the same technique except much smaller so it will fit in the middle of the large one.

  Finally, insert the little one into the middle of the large one and sew them together from the back. Now you're do and should be so pleased!

   These little lovelies can be used in so many ways. so far I've used them on my wreath,

   I've used lots of them on my jewelry,

and I'm sure I'll find many other uses for them. Enjoy!