Folded Ribbon Rose: A Craft Tutorial

Have you ever seen those dainty, adorable silk sewn roses? They are often sewn on to pillows, cloth, etc. as an additional embroidery. These use ribbon, but the idea is the same. Use some of your scraps. And don't hold back. Use some of your most interesting colors and patterns. 

Once you have mastered the basic folding technique of these Roses, they can be created from a wide variety of Ribbons. The photo here shows them made in Satin Ribbon, Satin Ribbon / Organza Ribbon Combination and Organza with a Gold Thread Edge.

For a much softer effect of course you would use Silk Ribbon. The Hand Dyed Silk Ribbons which are available in the wider sizes are ideal for this. The variance in color through the ribbon becomes shading in the petals, making it much more realistic.


Step 1: Cut the Ribbon edge at an angle. Fold the ribbon forward diagonally, leaving a tail.



Step 2: Fold over the ribbon starting from the right, making a firm center for the rose. Stitch to hold in matching thread. ( For this tutorial I have a different color thread to make it easier for you to see ).


Step 3: Fold the ribbon diagonally to the back. 

Step 4: Wrap the fold around the rose center, each one of the folds becomes a petal. Continue in this way until you have the desired size rose. 



Take care not to have all the folds on the one side of your rose. On the outer petals as the rose is growing in size, you may need to gather the ribbon at the base a little to prevent this.

Step 5: On the last fold stitch the ribbon to the base and cut off at an angle. Notice how the gold thread alternates through the petals. The same with combining two ribbons such as Satin and Organza.

Hint: Should you be concerned about wastage of Ribbon, an alternative is to replace this with crepe paper double fold. This paper holds firm without stitching by pressing the folds in place. Allows you to have a few practice runs. 
Be patient in time you will be able to do them with very little effort.

source: http://caroldaisy.blogspot.com/search/label/Tutorial%20-%20Folded%20Ribbon%20Rose