Craft Ideas Using Grosgrain Ribbon

Grosgrain ribbon is so versatile and comes in such a large assortment of colors, sizes and patterns that it makes it the perfect ribbon for creating a variety of fun and functional craft projects. Here are some craft ideas using grosgrain ribbon to get you started.

Make a Grosgrain Ribbon Belt

These fun belts are a piece of cake to make and can really add some color and cheer to any outfit. Here's what you'll need:

- 1 1/2" wide grograin ribbon

- 2 - 1 1/2" D rings

- Needle & thread

1. Measure your waist (where you plan to wear the belt) and cut 2 pieces of ribbon 8-9" longer than your waist measurement.

2. Place the two pieces of ribbon back-to-back so the right sides are facing out and stitch them together down the entire length of both sides of the ribbon

3. Hem one end of the ribbon by folding it over about 1/2" two times and then stitching in place

4. With the hemmed side up, attach the D-rings to the other end of the belt by pulling the ribbon through the rings and folding it back on itself. To secure, first fold about 1/2" of the end of the ribbon under, then another 1-2" and stitch it down across the belt.

Make a Grosgrain Lampshade

Again, this project is fun, easy and can really spruce up a plain old lamp and make it something special. Here's what you'll need:

- A spool or two of grosgrain ribbon - depending on the size of your lampshade

- A wire-frame lampshade

- Safety pins

1. Start by attaching the ribbon to the lampshade. To do this, fold about 1/2" to 1" of ribbon over the top wire of the shade toward the inside and pin it to itself with safety pins.

2. Begin wrapping the ribbon around the lampshade from top to bottom. So start by pulling the ribbon down from the top, around the bottom wire and back up through the inside of the shade toward the top. Continue wrapping the ribbon around the frame of the shade -overlapping each wrap as much or as little as you want with the one before - until you come back around to where you started.

3. One your last wrap, pin the end of the ribbon in place by cutting it to length, folding it over toward the inside of the shade and securing it with safety pins.

Hints:

- If the ribbon is sliding where you have pinned it on the shade you can secure it with a dab of glue under the ribbon.

- Be sure to pull the ribbon tight for best results!

- Create different looks by overlapping the wraps more or less or by using multiple ribbons in more than one color.

- Only use with a low wattage bulb