Julie Finn
Life is too short to guiltily hoard a drawer full of ribbon bits and bobs and scraps and ends (*awkwardly raises hand*). I know you probably acquired all of that gorgeous ribbon to use in projects especially meant for it, but with a little inspiration–which I’m about to provide!–you can find lots of beautiful, useful ways to use up those ribbon scraps…
…and leave room in that drawer for more craft supplies that you can guiltily hoard.
Check out the tutorials below and let me know which is your favorite!
1. Bead and ribbon dragonfly. Choose a high-quality ribbon and use your beaded dragonfly as a hair ornament the next time you dress fancy.
2. Cardigan sweater remake. Do you have enough ribbon to line two halves of a sweater? If so, welcome to your brand-new cardigan!
3. Chandelier. I love how kid-friendly and open-ended this project is. And as the post shows, it’s perfect for collaborating within a group.
4. Christmas tree ornament. If you’ve got lots of green ribbon scraps in your stash, this is a fun and easy ornament to make.
5. Curly ribbon hair bows. A bin of ribbon scraps is a bin of future hair bows! I LOVE the method used here to make the ribbons stay tightly curled.
6. Embroidery. You guys, you can EMBROIDER with skinny ribbons! Here are tons of tricks and tutes for embroidering with ribbons.
7. Flat bow for scrapbooking and card making. I’m already a fan of handmade cards, so I’m really into the idea of using itsy bitsy ribbon scraps to make bows that will lie flat and not increase my postage.
8. Gift-wrapping bows. If you’ve got some wired ribbon taking up your stash, you can transform it into a stash of gift-wrapping bows, instead.
9. Lanyard. A lanyard is a great choice for a kid who needs to keep track of a bus pass, school ID, or library card. And a homemade lanyard is a lot more fun than the one leftover from your last comic-con.
10. No-sew ribbon headband holder. Just because you have a lot of ribbons in your stash doesn’t mean that you need to sew. This handy headband holder is a no-sew project; all you need is hot glue!
11. Pandora ribbon bracelet. This bracelet uses lots of fancy ribbon scraps and one chunky Pandora bead to tie it together.
12. Ponytail ribbon streamers. Trust me that these are, indeed, a thing. As cute as they are, how could they not be?
13. Rag ribbon garland. This project is similar to the ribbon banner, below, but it’s designed for a smaller space, such as a mantle piece or dining table.
14. Ribbon and button bookmarks. Here’s an easy way to upcycle both ribbon scraps AND stash buttons!
15. Ribbon banner. Okay, this might use up all the rest of your ribbon stash. If you need more material to pad it out, you can tear some stash fabric into strips to embellish it, as well.
16. Ribbon bow tie. This scrappy ribbon bow tie looks just like a fabric bow tie–but it’s a RIBBON!
17. Ribbon bunting. Use bits of ribbon as the pennants on a twine bunting. This bunting would look super cute on a cake or cupcake, or in a potted plant that you’re giving as a gift.
18. Ribbon-embellished Christmas trees. These ribbons aren’t wrapped around the cardboard cones; instead, you’ll glue loops of ribbons to the cone, making your Christmas tree super fluffy. You could even add ornaments!
19. Ribbon wand. Wow your favorite little ones with their very own magical, flowing ribbon wand.
20. Ribbon rose. I’m sure you’ve seen these around. Make some of your own!
21. Ric-rac and ribbon-embellished shirt. I love how nice the ric-rac and ribbon look embellishing this child’s shirt–and there’s no sewing needed!
22. Spiky ribbon bow. There’s also no sewing required for this cute bow, made from trimmed and stacked ribbons.
23. Ribbon-wrapped clothes hanger. Here’s an easy way to fancy up your boring hangers.
24. Tassel keychain. Using ribbons will make this key chain stand up to wear a lot better than if it was made with a yarn tassel.
25. Wall hanging. This project is similar to the ribbon chandelier, above, but I like it even better because you can use a found branch as the base. Don’t forget to bake your branch in the oven for a little bit first to make sure that you don’t get a lovely larval surprise a few months later!
26. Windsock. The windsock in this tutorial is Independence Day-themed, but of course, any color and style of ribbon would work–the more chaotic, the better!
27. Woven ribbon and bead bracelet. Tweens and teens, especially, would have a lot of fun making themselves bracelets from your ribbon and bead stash using this tutorial.
28. Woven ribbon heart. This little ribbon heart would be perfect on a hair clip, or you can starch the heck out of it and turn it into a pendant.
29. Woven shamrock. I NEVER have anything green for St. Patrick’s Day, ugh. Next time I’ve got some green ribbon in my stash, I’m going to make myself one of these woven shamrocks and make sure that I’m all set for next year.
30. Wreath. Instead of using a Styrofoam wreath form, look for one made of cardboard or straw.
