Make Ribbons Into Roses and More

• Look closely, it's a ribbon rose
  
  You too, like the Victorians of old, can turn silk ribbon into roses and other flowers by learning a few simple folding techniques. Your great grandmother, and her great grandmother, may have learned the gentle art of ribbonwork. With an artistic eye, and a delicate touch, you can create this old-fashioned form of beauty as well.
  
  

The Basic Technique

• The pink and blue are just to make the folds easy to see
  
  To make a rose out of ribbon, begin with an 8-inch length of ribbon. Fold it in half, held horizontally with your thumb over the fold. With the other hand, take the top piece of ribbon and fold it down, making a diagonal. Now take the piece of ribbon extending on the right and fold it over to the left. Next take the piece of ribbon extending down and fold it up, holding the folds together. Next, the piece on the left folds over to the right, the piece above folds down, and you just keep making squares vertically and horizontally until there is only about 1 1/2 inches of ribbon left on each end. Holding the folds, turn the stack over and grab the end that is the lower most. Pull it gently and watch your rose take shape. Secure the rose with a piece of florist's wire at the base.
  
  

The Elegance of Ribbonwork

• There are many other ribbon techniques for making silk flowers, buds, daisies, posies and even leaves. Soon you'll be creating ribbon bouquets to decorate pillowcases, hats, greeting cards, quilts and more. Some of the more delicate ribbon flowers can become part of exquisite embroidery on clothing.
  
  

Becoming a Ribbonwork Expert

• A wedding corsage from Creative Muse
  
  Wedding flowers, bouquets, corsages and flower decorations can be made from ribbon. There are also heirloom reproductions of Victorian ribbonwork you can learn to make from step-by-step instructions. Try bookstores, libraries and online for any of the many instruction books with color photos.
  
  

Ribbonwork Revival

• In the late 1990s and early 2000s, elegant ribbonwork has experienced a revival, initially among doll makers making trims for doll clothes, and then spreading to other artisans and crafters. Now, more techniques and new ideas are available than ever.