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

Top 5 Reasons You Should Be Sleeping On Silk

1) Sleeping on silk reduces the appearance of wrinkle lines

Sleeping on silk pillowcases reduces the appearance of lines on your face when you wake up in the morning. Your skin looks better when you wake up. You do not need research on this.  Ask anyone that has ever slept on silk, they will tell you. There are not those morning creases that last longer and longer as you get older. Do the experiment yourself. Why do we need statistics on everything to tell us what we inherently know?  Try it, you will see the difference the first morning you wake up.

2) SIlk is hypo-allergenic

Silk is hypo-allergenic because the weave is so tight, dust mites can not manifest.

3) Silk does not absorb your expensive face creams

Silk does not absorb your expensive face creams the way cotton does. Cotton is very absorbent we know this. I know my face creams are not cheap. As a matter of fact my face cream costs more than 1 pillowcase. The pillowcases last for a very long time. The silk actually gets softer and softer on your face with age. Many people have kept the same pillowcase for 10 years!

4) Your hair looks better when you sleep on silk pillowcases

Your hair looks better when you sleep on silk pillowcases. Hairdressers know this. Our grandmothers knew this. Again do the research. Do you have bed head in the morning? A silk pillowcase will help.

5) Spoil yourself with Silk Pillowcases

We spend a third of our life sleeping. Sleeping on silk pillowcases is an easy way to pamper yourself. You feel like you are in a spa when you go to bed on a silk pillowcases.

You could buy a silk pillowcase, or you could easily do it yourself! Click here to see the how-to make your own silk pillowcase. 

DIY: How to Make a Silk Pillowcase

How to Make a Spooky Skull Cut Out Tee/Tank

SUPPLIES

• Oversized large t-shirt (Get yours here)
• Washable Sharpie
• Fabric scissors
• Large piece of white paper

STEP ONE: Sketch out the outline of your skull. We think the messier, the better, so don't be afraid to get a little sloppy.

STEP TWO: Turn your shirt inside out with the back of the shirt facing up. Then put your skull outline inside.
 

STEP THREE: Trace your outline. We chose to do dots since sharpies tend to drag on fabric and by not having a solid line we were able to deviate from the exact outline, like we said, the messier the better — and more organic looking.

STEP FOUR: Admire your dotted skull outline.

STEP FIVE: Begin cutting by starting in the middle and snipping outward. *If you use a washable Sharpie or other washable ink you won't have to worry about cutting on the outside of the dots as much.

STEP SIX: For the teeth we found pinching the fabric where you want the tooth and hap-hazardly cutting gave a nice result.

STEP SEVEN: Stretch out the fabric so the cuts don't look as manufactured — much better this way.

STEP EIGHT: Voila! Or you can continue to STEP EIGHT POINT FIVE and cut off the collar and sleeves like we did. By doing this you'll acheive a slinkier silhouette.

STEP EIGHT POINT FIVE: Cut off sleeves and and collar. Take your time with it and don't attempt to do both layers at once. Better yet, just find your friend whose really good at this and have them do it. There always seems to be that one friend who can make the perfect tank — and if you're that friend, then lucky you :)

STEP NINE: Pair it with some skinny jeans and messy hair and you're good to go.

We used a black tee, but you can use any shirt or tank (and color combo) you want. 

5 Simple DIY Halloween Costumes for Men & Women

Once again we've scoured the net to find you some simple and fantastic DIY ideas. As Halloween approaches, the number one question is: “What are you going to be for Halloween?” If you’re still in the “I’m not sure” phase, you’re in luck. Here are 5 of the simplest DIY ideas that will wow your friends without breaking the bank.

1.       Fred and Wilma from C.R.A.F.T.

2.       Cupcake Barbie from Costume Works

3.       Bubble Wrap Jelly Fish from Martha Stuart

4.       Honey Bee Family Costume from Zinke

5.       Pop Art Makeup from Vlamboyant

How To Make a Beautiful Silk Scarf in 5 Steps!

Silk scarves transcend generation, season and trend.

1. Find a great silk fabric – we personally prefer light georgettes or crepes – and don’t be afraid to choose a bold, colorful print. Square scarves offer a few more styling options than do rectangular ones, so we suggest purchasing a 36”, 45”, or 60” square.
2. Steam the silk. If you only have an iron, use the lowest setting possible, and place a towel over the fabric for extra protection.
3. The mark of a high-quality scarf is a hand-rolled hem. This can be tricky, but we think it’s worth the extra effort. First, sew a quarter inch in from the raw edge all around the scarf. Now you’ll want trim as close to the stitch as you can; a centimeter is a good amount. If you place some kind of a paperweight on the soon-to-be scarf, so that you can pull your fabric taught, this will help during trimming and hand-sewing.
4. Backstitch the edge. Then, keeping the fabric taut, hold that edge between your thumb and forefinger. Roll toward you. You’ll want to roll so that the earlier stitching is hidden inside the roll. Now, slipstitch the hem.
5. Voila! Your silk scarf is finished and ready for wear.

How to Make a High-Waist Maxi Skirt

How to Make a High-Waist Maxi Skirt

Tools:

• Sewing Machine
• 2 metres of fabric
• Pins
• Fabric Scissors
• Zipper
• Invisible Zipper Foot
• Thread
  

  

 How To:

1. Cut out two rectangles. The length would be your desired length plus a little extra for flow.

2. Cut out a waist band that would fit around your waist plus a little excess. Make it about 4 to 5 inches wide.

3. Sew the two rectangle together (side seam)

4. Baste the top of the skirt and then pull on one thread to gather the top. Evenly distribute the gathers around a width that would fit your waist.

5. Attach the waist band to the gathered top, right sides facing each other.

6. Attach a zip to the skirt on the open ends.

7. Finish off the waistband

Fold the waist fabric over a couple of times. Press. Pin. Sew.

Finished? Show us what you’ve got! Post a link to your finished products photo below!

5 of the Easiest and Awesomest DIY Halloween Decorations

We’ve been trend spotting as we’re gearing up for Halloween and amongst all of the blogs, websites, news stories, and more, we’ve collected what we think are the coolest DIY Decorations for you guys to take a peek at! Have fun!

1.)    Black Lace Candles from Family Chic

2.)    Bloody Table Cloth from 365 Days of Halloween

3.)    Shrunken Head Cider from Martha Stewart

4.)    Fabric Pumpkins from Craftster

5.)    Milk Container Ghost Lanterns from Money Crashers

Easiest Silk Pillowcase EVER

AWESOME IDEA From DesignSponge.com For an Easy Silk Pillow Case

here’s what you’ll need:

scarf

double-sided fusible interfacing

backing fabric (around 1 1/4 yards for an 18” pillow)

pillow insert

sewing machine

iron

thread

1. if your scarf is thin, (i.e. silk) fuse it to a piece of fabric with double-sided fusible interfacing and an iron, to give it extra strength before sewing.

2. for the envelope style backing, cut out two squares of your backing fabric that are 1” longer than your pillow and wide enough so that they will overlap by 2 to 3 inches after you’ve sewn a 1” hem along one side.

3. overlap the two pieces and pin together so they create a square that is 1” larger than your pillow insert all the way around.

4. with right sides together, stitch the top scarf piece to the envelope pillow backing all the way around using a 1/2” seam allowance.

5. turn right side out, press and insert your pillow.

Original source:

http://www.designsponge.com/2008/11/diy-wednesdays-silk-scarf-pillow.html