Carol Duvall, host of HGTV's The Carol Duvall Show, explains how to make beautiful ribbon roses with a common folding technique, wire, floral tape and scissors. She also suggests a simple method to use when working with wire-edged ribbon. Materials:
1 yard of 1-1/2"-wide ribbon
Scissors
6" flexible wire
Floral tape
Plastic flower stem or sturdy wire
Pencil (cut to a point and with the lead removed), crochet hook or knitting needle
Optional: fabric or paper leaves
- Begin with the ribbon's right side facing you. Grasp the ribbon in your left hand about 6" from one end. The long end of the ribbon will be on the right. You'll work in counterclockwise fashion, with the length of the ribbon on the right.
- Fold the short piece of ribbon in your left hand toward you at a 45-degree angle so that the end is perpendicular to the rest of the ribbon (figure A).
- Fold the long piece of ribbon in your right hand away from you at a 45-degree angle so that it is parallel to the first ribbon and the two folds form a triangular point at the top (figure B).
- Turn both pieces of ribbon counterclockwise one-quarter turn so that the triangular point is facing left.
- Grasp the long ribbon (the one on top), fold it away from you at a 45-degree angle, and place it over the short ribbon so that it is parallel to the previous ribbon. The three 45-degree angles folded to this point will create three sides of a square (figure C).
- Turn the ribbon counterclockwise again one-quarter turn. Fold the long ribbon away from you at a 45-degree angle, and place it in front of the folded ribbon. This will form the fourth side of the square (figure D).
- Continue turning and folding in this fashion until there are about five layers, leaving 6" of ribbon at the end (figure E).
- Using a pencil point (without the lead), crochet hook or knitting needle, force an opening in the center of the squares (figure F). Push the end of the ribbon through this hole from the top of the squares to the back (figure G).
- Pull the ribbon down until it begins to form a bud in the center of the flower.
- Place the fingers of your left hand between the two top layers of petals. With your right hand, twist the ribbon tail clockwise, forcing the layer of petals to turn about one-quarter turn. Don't pull down--just twist the ribbon (figure H).
- Move the fingers of your left hand down to the next layer of petals, and repeat the turning process. Continue in this manner until all the layers of petals are formed (figure I).
- Wrap a length of wire around the ribbon tails as close to the bottom of the flower as possible. Twist the wire to secure. Cut the excess ribbon to within 3/4" of the flower base (figure J).
- Place a plastic rose stem at the base of the rose, and wrap the remaining wire tightly around the ribbon and stem. Wrap with floral tape to cover the stem. Add fabric or paper leaves, if desired (figure K).
RESOURCES :
Lion Ribbon Co./C.M. Offray and Son Inc.
Lion Ribbon Co. / C.M. Offray & Son Inc.
Website: www.offray.com
Ribbonwork
Author: Christine Kingdom
Krause Publications
Website: www.krause.com
Elegant Ribboncraft
Model: 0891346635
Author: Christine Kingdom
North Light Books
March 1995
Krause Publications
Website: www.krause.com
Glorious Ribbons
Model: 0801984858
Author: Christine Kingdom
September 1993
Chilton Book Company
Westchester, PA 19380
Phone: 610-738-9280
Fax: 610-738-9354
Victorian Ribbon and Lacecraft Designs
Model: 080690402X
Author: Mary Jo Hiney
out of print
Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
Website: www.sterlingpub.com
Wright's
The Boye Needle Co. / Wright's (Wm. E. Wright Ltd.)
Chicago, IL 60613
Phone: 773-472-0354
Fax: 773-472-9377
Website: www.wrights.com
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