Ribbon Christmas Tree Shirt

Christmas season is upon us! I am excited for all the family activities, holiday parties, and craft projects that we have planned.
The first Christmas project for me this year was a shirt for my baby girl- a ribbon Christmas tree shirt.

Gather supplies:

• a variety of ribbon (different widths, textures, and colors)
• scissors
• scrap piece of paper cut in a triangle
• shirt or onesie
•  fusible web
• thread and needle or sewing machine

Design your tree:

Decide if you would like a tall skinny tree or a short fat one and make a template out of a piece of paper.  With your assortment of ribbons that you selected lay them across your paper tree template and cut. Don’t forget to cut a little square or rectangle for the trunk.  Heat seal the ends of the ribbon with a lighter to prevent fraying.

Applique ribbons to shirt:

When I saw this ribbon shirt idea I thought I would just pin the ribbon down and sew them on. I tried. It was difficult for me to get the ribbons to line up where I wanted them so I used my paper template to cut a scrap piece of fusible web. The brand I used was Steam a Seam. I ironed the ribbons onto the fusible web and then onto the shirt.

Sew:

The bond is supposed to be permanent but I decided to stitch around each of the ribbons. I like the extra durability and the way it helps it stand out a bit more.  I think a zigzag stitch would look  super cute! Or you can do a straight stitch like I did or even hand stitch it. My sewing is far from perfect but it makes it unique. :)

Finishing Touches:

A Christmas tree is not complete without something on top. Sew on a star button or pretty bow. I am obsessed with bows so that is what I chose.

This top would look great paired with a tutu and a matching loopy bow using the same ribbons used for this project using the tutorials that I have shared in my other tutorials. Happy crafting and Happy Holidays!

Turkey Hairclip

Thanksgiving is right around the corner so I made this cute little turkey hairclip for my little turkey.

Gather Supplies

• 3/8″ grosgrain ribbon (brown, orange, yellow, red)
• 5/8″ ribbon (brown and orange)
• ruler or measuring tape
• scissors
• lighter
• alligator clip
• hot glue gun
• googly eyes (optional)

Line alligator clip

You can line the clip whatever color you chose. I went with brown to match the body of the turkey.  Cut the ribbon to the length needed (the clip length varies depending where you buy the clip).  Heat seal the ribbon by quickly running the lighter across the ends and hot glue in place. I only line the top prong, inside the ‘pinch’, and part way on the bottom.  I think the clip stays in hair much better without the bottom completely lined. If you need a more detailed step by step instruction of how to line the clip look back to my first tutorial on the simple hair clip and follow the first few steps. :)

Make the turkey body

Using the 3/8″ brown grosgrain ribbon cut 3 strips : 5 1/2″, 5″ and 4″ .

With the 5 1/2″  loop the ribbon to look like an awareness ribbon and hold in place with a drop of hot glue.

Glue the top of the loop down. Cut the ends at a slight angle and heat seal.

With the 5″ ribbon make a loop leaving a small tail at the end (about 1/4″).

Repeat with the 4″ ribbon  in the opposite direction.

Glue the smaller loop on the bigger loop.

Place a drop of glue on the small tails left on the body and attach the head.

Make the feathers

Cut five peices of ribbon to 3 1/2″. I cut two yellow, two a light orange, and one red. 

Glue each one into a little loop.

Glue the feathers to the body.

Make a cute face

Using 5/8″ orange cut a triangle for the beak. (heat seal all sides).

Cut a tiny scrap of the 3/8″ red in half to make the wattle.

Add two little googly eyes if you wish. 

This is optional because the eyes can fall off and become a potential choking hazard

so please be safe if you are making this for a baby or young child.

Finishing touches

Add a 1.5″ peice of brown to the back to help keep the feathers more secure.

Glue on the lined alligator clip.

And if you have some hot glue mess left on your turkey (I know I do!!)  peel it off once it is dry.

Nursery Wall Letters

If you are expecting a baby or looking for a way to decorate a child’s room this craft project is perfect for you.
 I bought the wall letters at Michaels and the paint at Lowes. The outside edges are painted the darker color because I like the way it gives the letters a little bit more dimension.
These letters were made to match the nursery bedding I picked out for my daughter’s nursery (CoCaLo Baby: Sugar Plum).  The secret to getting such a perfect match to the bedding is that the details on the letters are from the actual wall paper border from that collection.  Using an x-acto  knife I cut the decorative edge, flowers, leaves and butterflies out and then wall papered them to the letters just as if I was going to put them on the wall.
For finishing touches I used a little bit more paint to add the butterfly flight path and the flower stem to mimic the design on the bedding.

Loopy Bow

I have been having internet problems but I am back up and running again. :)

Here are my instructions for making this fun loopy bow.

Step 1: Gather supplies.

Ribbon

floral wire

 french barrette

scissors

lighter

Step 2: Take the spring out.

Step 3: Lay the ribbons out.
 Gather ribbons of different texture and size. I am using 5 ribbons in this bow. Two are satin, three are grosgrain and the widths are 3/8" and 5/8".   You can use as many or as few as you wish but I would recomend at least 3. Using more will give you fuller bow. Stack them on top of each other.

Step 4: Attach the ribbon to the barrette.
Use floral wire to wrap around your ribbon stack and the barrette.  I use a 26 gauge wire because it is thin and pliable but also strong.

 

Step 5: Make loops.

Make a loop roughly 2 inches high (I don't actually measure it) and secure in place with the wire by wrapping it around several times. I think it looks best when it is about the same height as the length I left on the end before I wrapped the wire around the first time.

Keep making loops and wrapping the wire around. Push them as close together as you can and try to keep the loops all uniform.

I fit 8 loops on this 2 inch barrette.

Step 6: Cut and heat seal the ends.

Finish the ends by cutting some at an angle and some in a 'V'. Then very quickly use your lighter to go over the edges so they do not fray.

Step 7:  Seperate the loops.

Use your fingers to pull the loops apart so they are no longer stacked. Make the order as random as possible.

Step 8: Reassemble the clip.

And you're done!