A sheer organza weave laid over a drawing, so the picture shows in squaresRibbon, 2 colors of organza. Weave loosely on a card frame and tape the frame over the drawing.
A ribbon ring that streams in the wind: twelve tails knotted around a hoopRibbon, 6 colors, cut in 12. Fold each over the hoop and pull the tails through the loop.
A notebook cover in basket weave that closes with its own ribbon tiesRibbon, 2 colors. Leave the two middle ribbons long at the fore edge and they tie the book shut.
A basket: ribbons woven through slits cut around a paper cupRibbon, 2 colors. Cut an odd number of slits from rim to base so each row alternates with the last.
A drawn pie with a lattice top woven from real ribbonRibbon, 1 color. Draw the dish and crust on card. Weave five ribbons each way and trim them to the circle.
A fish-shaped window over a satin weave, so the shine reads as scalesRibbon, 2 colors of satin. Weave a panel, cut a fish from card and glue the frame on top.
A memory weave of ribbons saved from a year of gifts, no two alikeRibbon, 10 saved pieces. Tape the widest ones down first and weave the narrow ones through them.
A notebook cover in basket weave that closes with its own ribbon tiesRibbon, 2 colors. Leave the two middle ribbons long at the fore edge and they tie the book shut.
A one-color checkerboard: satin woven shiny side up, then dull side upRibbon, 1 color of satin. Tape the rows shiny side up, then weave the crossing ribbons through dull side up.
A plaid panel in three widths of ribbonRibbon, 3 widths. Repeat wide, narrow, medium in both directions and the crossings make the plaid.
A rainbow weave: six colors down in order, white acrossRibbon, 7 colors. Tape the six in rainbow order. The white rows turn every color into a row of tiles.
A sheer organza weave laid over a drawing, so the picture shows in squaresRibbon, 2 colors of organza. Weave loosely on a card frame and tape the frame over the drawing.
A small woven panel framed by a ruffle of gathered ribbonRibbon, 3 colors, and thread. Weave the panel, gather one long ribbon along its edge and glue the ruffle around.
A tone-on-tone weave: shiny satin crossed with ribbed grosgrain in one shadeRibbon, 2 kinds in 1 color. Tape the satin in rows and weave the grosgrain through. Only the shine shows the squares.
A touch panel of velvet and satin stripes woven with rough juteRibbon, 3 kinds. Alternate velvet and satin in rows. The jute crossing them makes every square feel different.
A twill zigzag in satin: over two, under two, stepping one each rowRibbon, 2 colors. Step one ribbon to the right for five rows, then back to the left.
A woven heart with its ribbon ends knotted in pairs along the edgeRibbon, 2 colors. Weave over a card heart, fold the tails to the back and knot each pair.
A woven mat with its ends pulled out into a fringeRibbon, 2 colors. Weave tight, glue the last row all around, then pick the cross threads out of every tail.
Flowers and bows 15
A bow with a wrapped center and tails cut in a VRibbon, 1 length, and a short piece. Fold two loops, pinch the middle and wrap the short piece around it.
A bunch of rolled rosebuds on twig stems in a jarRibbon, 2 colors, and twigs. Roll each bud around the twig tip itself and tie it off with green.
A carnation from one length gathered tight and fluffedRibbon, 1 length, and thread. Fray one edge first, gather the other, and roll the ruffle around itself.
A chrysanthemum of short pointed petals glued in ringsRibbon, 1 color, cut in 30. Fold each piece into a point. Start with the outer ring and work inward.
A daisy of ten ribbon loops glued around a buttonRibbon, 1 color, cut in 10. Glue each piece into a loop first, then set the loops around a card disc.
A flat gift bow of two loops and no knot, held by a wrapped stripRibbon, 1 length. Glue the ends to the middle to make a figure eight, then wrap the waist.
A lavender sprig: tiny purple knots tied up a green ribbon stemRibbon, 2 colors. Tie the knots close together at the tip and farther apart lower down.
A pinwheel bow folded from four pointed ribbon piecesRibbon, 1 color, cut in 4. Fold each end to the middle on a slant and stack the four in a cross.
A poinsettia of pointed red loops around a cluster of yellow knotsRibbon, 2 colors. Six long loops underneath, six short on top, and three small knots in the center.
A rose rolled from one length, the ribbon folded back at every turnRibbon, 1 length. Roll three turns for the bud, then fold the ribbon away from you before each new turn.
A ruffled bloom from a ribbon gathered along one edgeRibbon, 1 length, and thread. Sew long stitches along one edge, pull the thread and the ribbon circles up.
A stacked bow in three widths, widest at the bottomRibbon, 3 widths. Make three flat bows, lay them in size order and bind all three with one strip.
A sunflower of yellow ribbon points around a disc of brown knotsRibbon, 2 colors. Fill the card center with knots tied in brown before the petals go on.
A tulip of three folded ribbon points on a paper straw stemRibbon, 2 colors. Fold each piece into a point like a paper airplane nose and overlap three.
A water lily of sheer ribbon petals on a paper padRibbon, 1 color of organza, cut in 12. Layer two rings of pointed loops. The sheer cloth shows both.
Hangings and mobiles 15
A branch hung with ribbon tails in rainbow orderRibbon, 7 colors. One knot a ribbon, red at one end of the branch and violet at the other.
A chandelier of ribbons hung between a large hoop and a small oneRibbon, 3 colors. Tie each ribbon to both hoops so the small one hangs level inside the large.
A comet to throw: a foil ball with a long tail of ribbonsRibbon, 3 colors, each 2 lengths. Knot the ribbons together and squeeze the foil around the knot.
A door curtain of ribbons that fade from dark at one side to pale at the otherRibbon, 8 shades. Knot them along a cord in shade order and trim the ends level.
A fish windsock with ribbon tailsRibbon, 4 colors, and a paper tube. Draw the fish on the tube and tape the ribbons inside the tail end.
A flock of paper birds, each trailing two ribbon tail feathersRibbon, 3 colors. Glue the tails between the two halves of each bird and hang the birds at different heights.
A line of ribbon bows spaced along a cord, each a different widthRibbon, 4 widths. Tie each bow straight onto the cord and slide the bows along until the gaps are even.
A mobile of ribbon corkscrews, wound on a pencil and stiffened with glueRibbon, 5 colors. Brush on thinned white glue, wind, let it dry and slide the pencil out.
A paper kite on the wall whose tail is one long ribbon tied with six bowsRibbon, 1 long length and 6 short pieces. Tie each short piece around the long one in a bow, a hand apart.
A ribbon ring that streams in the wind: twelve tails knotted around a hoopRibbon, 6 colors, cut in 12. Fold each over the hoop and pull the tails through the loop.
A ribbon wand: one long ribbon on a stick for drawing loops in the airRibbon, 1 color, 3 lengths. Tie it to a paper clip taped to the stick so the ribbon can spin.
A shooting star: a card star trailing five long ribbon tailsRibbon, 5 colors. Tape the ribbons behind one point of the star and hang it by the opposite point.
A tabletop maypole with ribbons braided down the poleRibbon, 4 colors, and a stick. Tie all four at the top and cross them in pairs around the stick.
A weeping willow: green ribbons hanging from a hoop on a paper trunkRibbon, 3 greens. Tie the ribbons close together and cut them longer at the outside.
A window hanging of sheer ribbons that cross and mix their colorsRibbon, 3 colors of organza. Hang blue and yellow so they overlap, and the overlap reads as green.
Ribbon pictures on card 15
A caterpillar of ribbon loops along a drawn leafRibbon, 2 greens, cut in 8. Glue each piece down at both ends so its middle arches off the card.
A drawn gift box crossed by two real ribbons and a bowRibbon, 1 color. Fold the ribbon ends over the card edges and tape them at the back.
A drawn pony whose mane and tail are satin ribbon frayed out to glossy threadsRibbon, 1 color of satin, cut in 6. Pick the cross threads out of each piece and glue down only the woven end.
A drawn street at night under bands of sheer white ribbon fogRibbon, 1 color of organza. Draw the street in dark pen and glue sheer bands across it. Overlaps make thicker fog.
A dress on a drawn hanger with a gathered ribbon skirtRibbon, 2 colors. Gather a wide ribbon along one edge for the skirt and use a narrow one as the sash.
A keyboard of white ribbon keys with short black ribbons on topRibbon, 2 colors. Seven white keys an octave. The black ones sit in a group of two and a group of three.
A pair of drawn ballet shoes with real ribbon ties that crossRibbon, 1 narrow color, cut in 4. Glue each ribbon at the shoe and leave the crossed ends free.
A rainbow whose bands are ribbons gathered around the curveRibbon, 6 colors. Pleat the inner edge of each ribbon as it goes around so the band lies flat.
A road map of gray ribbon that folds at every cornerRibbon, 1 color. To turn a corner, fold the ribbon back on a slant so the turn is a neat triangle.
A sea of ribbons twisted once between every dot of glueRibbon, 3 blues. Use satin: each twist turns the shiny side up and then the dull side.
A skyline of ribbon towers in different widths, windows drawn in penRibbon, 5 widths. Cut each tower top straight, slanted or to a point before gluing.
A stripe study: twelve ribbons side by side, graded light to darkRibbon, 12 shades. Lay them all out dry and swap neighbors until the steps look even.
An evergreen from one ribbon folded back and forth, narrower every rowRibbon, 1 length. Glue a dot at each fold. Start with the widest row at the bottom.
An oak in ribbon: a twisted velvet trunk under a cloud of tied green knotsRibbon, 2 colors. Twist the trunk once as you glue it. Tie the knots first and glue them on in a cloud.
Rolling hills from overlapped ribbons, velvet in front and sheer behindRibbon, 4 kinds. Glue the farthest hill first. Each nearer ribbon covers the bottom edge of the last.
How it works
A ribbon is a thin band, usually of cloth, and it does four things plain paper cannot: it shines, drapes, frays and ties. The list is sorted by what you do with it: weave, fold, hang or glue.
Read the full guide
Know your ribbon before you cut
Satin, grosgrain, organza and velvet are common kinds. Satin is the shiny one, organza is the sheer one, and grosgrain is the one with ribs across it. Shine and ribs are enough to make a pattern from a single color, as the first woven panel shows.
Weave it, gather it, or let it hang
For a woven panel, tape one set of ribbons side by side along a card edge and pass the others over and under. For a flower, gather one edge and the ribbon ruffles into petals. A hanging needs nothing but a knot.
Cut ends on a slant or in a V. A straight cut across woven ribbon frays first.
Glue ribbon to card with a thin line down the middle. Glue near the edges soaks through and shows.
Questions and answers
What can you make out of ribbon?
Woven panels, folded flowers and bows, hangings that move in the air, and pictures glued on card. This list holds 60, from a rose rolled from one length to a pair of drawn ballet shoes with real ribbon ties.
What is an easy ribbon project to start with?
A branch hung with ribbon tails in rainbow order: each ribbon takes one knot and no glue. On card, the gift-box picture is quick: draw the box and lay two real ribbons across it with a bow where they meet.
What are ribbons made of?
Most are cloth. Natural ribbons are woven from silk, cotton or jute, and synthetic ones from polyester, nylon or polypropylene. Plastic and metal ribbons exist too. The hints on this page assume cloth ribbon from a sewing box or saved gift wrap.