DIY guide to making a ribbon rose

This post is long overdue, I have been meaning to do it for days but just been disctacted by various things (food, friends to stay, politics on tv, pub...) Basically any excuse I'm ashamed to say!

For ages now I've been seeing lovely fascinators on etsy shops with roses made out of fabric or ribbons, and wondering "how do they do that?" I finally gave it a go over the weekend, whilst making a birthday present for my mum, and here goes:

First, choose a wire-edged ribbon. I picked one which was about 2cm thick, and about 50cm in length. If you choose a really thick ribbon you get a big flouncy rose, with a thin ribbon you'll get more of a little rose appliqué.

Step 1:

Pull one end of the wire out of the ribbon, by about 1cm. Secure this by winding up into a knot.

Step 2:

Take the opposite end of the same wire and slowly pull, gradually gathering the ribbon towards the knot at the other end. The ribbon will naturally start to form a flower shape. Keep gathering the ribbon until it is tightly and equally gathered towards the end with the knot.

Step 3:

Shape the rose as you like, with the wire knot hidden at the back, then stich into place. You can embellish with beads, buttons, or even another smaller ribbon rose in a contrasting colour.

The finished product... This is sadly not for sale in my shop as this is a present for my mum (eeek I hope she likes it)... I might think about doing something similar though for my shop now I have mastered the ribbon rose. Hope you enjoy making them too!

If you liked this post, you may like to try your hand at making your own fascinator: see my DIY fascinator kit