Ribbon Flower Purse

Carol Duvall Show : Episode CDS-920 -- More Projects »

Guest Helen Gibb dresses plain purses with ribbon trims and handmade ribbon flowers for custom bags that make a unique fashion statement. Gibb suggests assemblying these materials for such a project:

one yard of 1-1/2-inch wired ribbon
bias silk ribbon with frayed edges
purchased purse
faux berries
beads
crinoline lace
wool felt or Ultra Suede
black or white beading thread - size 33
millinery needles - size 9 or 10
long pins
hot glue gun and glue sticks or tacky fabric glue
scissors
ruler
tape measure
Ribbon Club or Artemis bias cut silk ribbons
The Secrets of Fashioning Ribbon Flowers book by Helen Gibb
cotton balls or small amount of fiberfill

Dress up plain purses with ribbon and ribbon flowers. These flowers were made using stitched wire ribbon and a tube flower technique.

To make a flower, remove the wire from one side of a 12-inch length of ribbon, fold the length in half and stitch the ribbon ends together as seen here to form a loop.

Make gathering stitches all along one side of the ribbon loop on the edge where the wire was removed as seen here.

To add a center to the flower, tie a one-inch length of yellow ribbon in a centered knot. Fold down the "tails" of the knotted ribbon and position it in the center of the flower tube (made in the previous step) with the tails below the tube and the knot above the tube. Gather the flower tube around the knot to form the flower.

To make a leaf, remove the wire from one side of a five-inch length of wired ribbon. Fold the piece of ribbon in half, then fold up the corners diagonally and make a gathering stitch along the the three sides that don't have wire as seen here. Leave a tail of thread at the end to gather the leaf.

To form the leaf, pull on the gathering thread, scrunching the ribbon together in the center, then open the wire side up to reveal a leaf shape. Tie off the gathering thread.

Berries can also be made using ribbon and a tube technique.

To make berries, remove wire from both edges of a three-inch length of ribbon and fold the length in half. Stitch the ribbon ends together as seen here. To make a stem, pull the stuffing out of a length of silk ribbon cord (approximately a three-inch length of cord).

Insert the "stem" into the berry tube and secure it with a stitch as seen here. Run gathering stitches around the bottom of the berry tube, leaving a long thread on the end for gathering.

Pull the long thread, gathering the berry tube around the stem as seen here. Flip the berry tube upward, away from the stem then run a gathering stitch around the top of the berry tube.

Stuff the berry tube with a cotton ball or a bit of fiberfill, then pull and tie the gathering thread over the stuffing to finish the berry.

Media
Click here to see guest Helen Gibb make ribbon flowers.

Embellishing the bag

1. For additional flower techniques, designs and ideas, follow instructions in Gibb's book, The Secrets of Fashioning Ribbon Flowers. Assemble the flowers and leaves in a pleasing composition.

2. Stitch the assembled flowers and leaves to crinoline lace.

3. Stitch beads and buttons to the crinoline to further embellish the composition.

4. Glue the crinoline to the purse as desired.

5. If your bag has an open design such as the one seen in the first picture on this page, insert a length of ribbon in the design for extra embellishment.

Resources
hand dyed silk ribbon - Hanah
Artemis Exquisite Embellishments
Website: www.artemisinc.com

French wire ribbon, trims
Renaissance Ribbons
Website www.renaissanceribbons.com

beginner ribbon flower kits
Helen Gibb Design Inc.
Website: www.helengibb.com

The Secret of Fashioning Ribbon Flowers by Helen Gibb
Order this title from Amazon.com.
Helen Gibb Design Inc.
Website: www.helengibb.com
Guests
Helen Gibb
Author and Ribbon Artist
Helen Gibb Design Inc
For autographed copies of Helen's books, order directly from her web site
Website: www.helengibb.com
Also in this Episode

Carol Duvall Show : Episode CDS-920
•	Ribbon Flower Purse
•	Polyshrink Apron Magnet
•	Sock Monkey Projects

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Ribbon Flower Purse

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Crafts

Ribbon Flower Purse

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