Saturday, December 15, 2007

Ribbon Garland Tutorial


Festive Ribbon Garland
*This project will make a garland approximately 1.5 yards long.
*Plan ahead, you will need drying time
*Messy project warning! :)
Materials List:
6 different ribbons. At least 1 yard of each. I used THIS kit from Savvy N Sassy and one other from my stash.
Straight pins or Paper clips
wax or parchment paper
Fabric Stiffener Glue(Crafter's Pick)

Zip Dry glue only needed for single sided ribbons*
Scissors



Step One:
I wanted my single sided ribbons to be double sided, if you want to do this, your first step is to cut the one sided ribbon in half and glue insides together.


Step Two: Cut your ribbons to 3 inch lengths.
A 3 inch strip equals a 1 inch link.



Step Three: Make a ring with your strips, overlapping the ribbon ends slightly so that you can pin the ends. (You could also use paper clips or stitch the ends)Link each ribbon through the previous link to create your chain.


Step four: Once you have made your garland links, and you have the length you want, you are ready for the fun part! Dip your garland in a bowl of Fabric Stiffener Glue. This can be found at your local craft store. You need about 1/4 Cup of it. Use your fingers and saturate your ribbons. The Fabric Stiffener will dry clear and seal the links shut. Be sure to focus on the closures that you pinned.


Place your bowl over a large sheet of wax paper or parchment paper. This is where you will lay your garland to dry. Once the links are saturated, lay it out on the paper to dry for at least 4 hours or overnight.


Ocassionally as your garland dries you can gently move each link to prevent sticking. You can wait until the Fabric Stiffener glue is completely dry to remove the pins or while the links are slightly damp.

*Using this fabric stiffener allows the ribbons to hold their link shape and prevents fraying. It's a really awesome product! You can add water to thin the glue, and your project will have less stiffness. Your garland will be preserved and durable! It's great!

Here is my finished garland up close and on my tiny tree! To make 3 yards of garland you will need about 2 yards of six different ribbons.




9 comments:

Renée said...

This is such an awesome idea!!! You rocked this challenge girl!!! WTG!!

My name is Samantha said...

LOVE IT!!!!! I have some Christmas ribbon I could use up!!

Kelly said...

Love the project, Becca. Maybe I'll start on mine next July to have it done by December since I have a big tree.

arlsmom aka Lynda said...

Great project becca!!! You totally rocked this challenge!!!

Lynda

Shannon said...

Becca this is really wonderful!! Thank-you for sharing!

Amie said...

way way cute, Becca! I love it! I've never heard of fabric stiffener!

Sheila said...

Great job Becca!!! I love the idea of the ribbon garland!

emily said...

Oh my that is so cute! I'm making this for next year! Love it love it!

Laura said...

Another great idea...I'll use it next Christmas!!