My Easter Basket

Well, look what the Easter Bunny left at my place...a basket full of colorful ribbons! Not just any basket, but one made by my very talented friend Maya. She makes these terrific burlap buckets, in many useful sizes, from coffee sacks.


And what about all the ribbons?, you may ask. Well, they are for a project of my own. I am going to make ribbon belts for some friends. I picked lots of fun Spring colors to get me started, and some white D-rings to use as buckles. I wanted to keep the look crisp and simple.



For a simple ribbon belt, I consider the following: finished length: this belt is for a young girl whose hip measurement ('cause that's where the young people wear their pants now) is 30". But I also want some length to wrap back through the buckle, so I add about 5 or 6 inches. So I want the finished belt to be 36". I also need to add 1.5" to make a loop for the D-rings. I need 37.5" total.

BUT I also want the belt to have a little weight to it, so I will buy double that and stitch the ribbon together. I bought 75" of the lavender ribbon, and 2 D-rings.

First I run the ribbon through the rings, and then stitch the ends of the ribbon, leaving a 1.5" tail. If you are using a ribbon with a right and a wrong side, be sure to have the right sides together at this point.
Once you have sewn the seam, press the seam so that both ends of the ribbon lie to one side.


Turn the ribbon right-side out. Slide the 2 D-rings over both ends of the "tail." You should have 3 layers of ribbon running through the rings.
I do this for extra support.Now stitch the rings in place, stitching over the first seam (or "stitch in the ditch").



Now it's easy! just sew the rest of the length of ribbon together. you can use Stitch Witch to fuse them together. That way you can go along with your iron slowly and make sure the sides match up. If you are just going to pin it, pin alternating horizontal and vertical pins. This keeps the ribbon from shifting in either direction.Also, stitch down each side in the same direction (i.e. from the buckle down, or up towards the buckle) Again, this helps you to avoid any shifting of the ribbon as you sew.

And you are DONE!

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Here are some techniques to jazz things up a bit:

You can add a thinner ribbon onto a wide ribbon for contrast. In this case you already have 2 ribbons together, so you don't have to double the whole length. Just be sure to double back at the end--when you fasten the belt around your waist the opposite side of the ribbon will show!

Sew a satin ribbon onto webbing for more strength. Again, remember to double back!

Try different buckles for different looks.