How To Make Ribbon Flowers – A Step By Step Tutorial
Ribbon flowers are a simple but stunning craft that can be used to add a beautiful touch to gifts, clothing, decor items and more. Simple enough for even young children to create, this is a fantastic activity with results that have the WOW factor! Here I’ve provided a full tutorial of how to make ribbon flowers with step by step instructions. Happy creating!
Ribbon Flowers
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My mom is amazing. She literally was a crafting expert who worked for years at the hospital teaching crafts and activities to patients who were bedridden. Growing up she was always teaching us new crafts and getting us creating. One of the things she taught all of us how to make flowers out of ribbon.
Originally she taught us how to make ribbon flowers so we could decorate gift boxes but soon we were creating custom flowers for our dresses, hair clips, and even to put on our pony’s bridles when we rode in parades.
One of the coolest uses for these flowers is to customize dresses for a wedding. Simply find a ribbon that matches the wedding colours and you can customize both flower girl and bridesmaid dresses (and even hair pieces) for a beautiful, unique and cohesive wedding party.
OK, so lots of amazing ideas, but I know you are asking… Is it easy to make a ribbon flower? YES, especially with our easy ribbon flower tutorial!
So are you ready? Let’s make ribbon flowers and ribbon roses!
Ribbon Flower Video Demonstration
In this video I used two ribbons for a beautiful effect, but the same technique is used for a single ribbon. If you can’t see the video, please turn off your adblockers as they also block our video feed. You can also find this video on the STEAM Powered Family YouTube Channel.
How To Make Ribbon Flowers Step by Step
Step 1
First you need a piece of ribbon. To start with cut it with scissors to approximately 12 inches in length.
Pro Tip! Pretty much any length or width or ribbon will work and once you master the technique. When you are first learning or working with children chose a silkier ribbon as it helps with the pulling step at the end. Once you get good at this easy technique, you can use other textures.
Step 2
Create an L shape with your ribbon like this:
Step 3
Now start folding one side, then the other. Fold back and forth until you have just a couple of inches left on each end.
Step 4
Grasp the ends and twist together. You will create a beautiful helix shape.
Step 5
Now this next step requires a bit of feel. Twist until the ends are snug but not too tight.
Step 6
Now grab one end and pull, if it doesn’t seem to pull through, twist again until it slides nicely. Pull until your flower is created.
Step 7
You can secure your flower with a little bit of wire, tape, glue or even a few stitches. Add a simple stem with a hot glue gun and some pipe cleaners or sticks.
VOILA! One beautiful ribbon flower or ribbon rose!
Feel free to add embellishments like a dusting of glitter on the petals, use a needle or bit of glue to add a bead to the center of your flower, or any other special touches that make your fabric flowers special.
Making Ribbon Flowers for Fine Motor Development
Ribbon flowers are a great activity for helping to develop fine motor skills including fine motor strengthening and coordination. Starting at a very young age, kids can make these flowers, but even adults enjoy making them.
Doubling the Ribbon
Want to make colourful, more complex ribbon flowers? Simply cut your pieces of satin ribbon to the same length, lay them on top of each other and create them the same way you would with a single strip of ribbon. The results are stunning!
Where Can I Use Ribbon Flowers?
The great thing about ribbon flowers is that you can use them for so many things!
Get your whole class making them and use them for gorgeous spring or Christmas decorations in the classroom. For wall decorations, use bigger wide ribbon for a bolder and larger flower.
Add handmade flowers to your craft projects, like our DIY Jewelry Box.
Customize clothing, backpacks, and lunch bags. One reader shared that she made hundreds of these to attach to her wedding dress. These would be a gorgeous way of customizing a flower girl dress too!
Make your hair accessories or hair clip match your outfit perfectly by adding these flowers.
Combine a ribbon flower with a custom stamped tag for a special gift or to really make your backpack or purse unique.
Make a bunch of ribbon flowers to create a bouquet that can be gifted or even used as a wedding bouquet.
Make a special Lei inspired necklace with ribbon flowers.
Decorate gift boxes during the holidays. If you want your box under the tree or at that birthday party to really standout, make a ribbon flower to decorate your box and make it extra special.
Why not put something extra special in that gift box and make some delicious candy treats with these Candy Science lessons?
What other ideas do you have for using ribbon flowers?