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Ribbon, Fabric, and Fiber Techniques

Ribbon        Fabric        Fiber

Ribbon Techniques

Source: Unknown

Don't have ribbon in a shade to match your project? Just dye white organdy ribbon with the ink pad you're stamping with to get the match.

Gently pull the ribbon across the dye ink pad while holding it down with a wedge of sponge or with your finger (wearing a disposable glove). The more times you run your ribbon through the color, the darker the ribbon becomes. Ink on ribbon will not dry as fast as ink on paper. Blot the ribbon with tissue or paper towel. Dye the ribbon before you finish your card, and it will be dry by the time you're ready to attach the ribbon.

Source: Kathie McGuire

Here's another great way to use those little tiny scraps of left over ribbon on a hand made card/paper art project. (I liked this idea so much that I just couldn't wait until I had scraps or left-overs! I used ribbon straight off the roll. I cut two small pieces-one in each coordinating color-and then tied them to the "full size" length of ribbon!!! WOW-gorgeous!!).

Allow me to explain....

Take two small scraps (size of your choice) of ribbon and one full size length of ribbon, all which coordinate with your card/paper art project. Tie the two "scrap" size pieces to the full size length of ribbon for a "3-color ribbon" embellishment. (Using the simple knot, you can take one small piece of ribbon and use it to tie all three pieces together--simple!!).
It's a great way to coordinate colors and textures and a terrific way to use up all those little bits and pieces of otherwise throw-aways pieces of ribbons!

Source: Unknown

Don't you just hate it when you have a leftover bit of ribbon that's too short to do anything with? Here's an idea you can use for pieces as short as 2 inches. Cut a V-shaped notch into the ends of 2 pieces of coordinating or matching ribbon. Lay one out flat and tie the second piece around it. Voila! You have a useful bow instead of a throwaway

Fabric Techniques

Source: Kathie McGuire

Put away the saws, hammer and nails, this is not the ordinary "Tool Time". It's "Tulle Time"!!!. Tulle is the soft, finely woven netting that is generally sold on 6" wide spools (tulle is also sold on bolts in widths as wide as 54", but for this application, we'll stick to a more manageable width of 6" for paper art creations). Tulle is very inexpensive (2.00 to 4.00 dollars) and a 6" spool is usually about 25 yards in length. What a deal!

Tulle comes in a fantastic variety of colors and is found in most major craft stores, department stores, discount stores, and several mail order companies. I have found a fabulous array of colors at a mail order company called "Bags and Bows" (1-800-225-8155).

Here's some "WOW" ways to use tulle in your art projects:

• Bows: Cut a length of tulle approximately 15" to 18" in length. Tie it in a bow and attach it to a card or other paper art project. If it seems a little too thick, cut it in half! Now you have enough for 2 bows!
  Veils: Stamp an image onto cardstock and finish it as desired (colored, chalked, etc). Then, straight cut it to a desired size. Next, cut a piece of tulle about 1/2" larger (all sides). Lay the stamped image face down on top of the tulle. Then, just fold the tulle around the cardstock on all sides and tape all sides securely. Turn the cardstock over and admire your stamped image beautifully veiled in tulle. It's truly beautiful!!
• Curtains: Have a stamp of a window image? Cut tulle to fit (be sure to add extra width as you'll need to do a little bit of "gathering") the length of the window. You can either hand gather the extra width by making small pinches in the tulle and then attaching it with two sided tape…………OR………gather with a needle and thread. Then, simply attach the tulle to your project with two sided tape or you favorite adhesive for a beautiful, airy window curtain! What a great embellishment.
• Now, my favorite: Cut a piece of cardstock to a desired size. Cut a piece of tulle ¼" larger (1/4" larger on all sides). Sew three sides of the tulle to the cardstock. Now you can insert small items into the pocket you've just created (potpourri, small embellishments, a crayon, small eraser, buttons, etc). Finally, sew the fourth side. Trim away any excess, unwanted tulle from all sides. Now you have a beautiful pocket full of treasure to layer onto any paper art project.

Fiber Techniques

Source: Unknown

I have found that if you have several little pieces of fibers that you don't want to just cram in a bag because you forget to use them that you can hang a piece of cardboard or cork to the back of a door or somewhere convenient and then just tape or tack the little pieces to the cardboard/cork and you have the pieces within easy reach and visible so that you can use up the last bits.

Source: Kathie McGuire

Before hemp was hip and twine was divine in the world of paper arts, I jazzed up my cards and projects with embroidery floss. There are dozens and dozens of colors available and it's a breeze to use. Plus----(always a big favorite of mine) it's inexpensive!!!

Embroidery floss is multi-plied (ply is defined as one of the strands in a braid or a rope) so it can be separated to a desired thickness or size. Easily threaded though the large or small eye of a needle, it's beautiful when sewn onto a paper art project. Many of the templates on the market have spaced holes that allow for marking the hole for perfectly even spacing. It's so simple; just mark your holes and then sew through them with your needle and embroidery thread.

Some ambitious stampers have devised charts detailing specific embroidery thread's colors to their ink pad color families (I believe Stampin' Up demos have a chart that lists their 48 colors coordinating with DMC Embroidery Floss's colors).

Want some fancy stitches on your cards, scrapbook pages, or other paper art projects? Here's a great website that I use for stitching inspiration and information: www.classicstitches.com. From the pull down tab, select "Stitching Zone", then "Know-How", then "Glossary". It's a real treasure chest of information complete with easy-to-understand charts and diagrams.

Don't forget that embroidery floss is wonderful when used in the same way as ribbon, hemp, or twine. Tie it in a small bow and glue it on---so cute!! Wrap it around a stamped image for layering onto a card-simple and whimsical. Combine one or more colors together (remember it's multi-plied so you can separate strands and combine them with others) to coordinate with your project.

One of my favorites is to wrap it around the fold of a card and let the two long ends hang. I bulk it up by separating the ply, giving it a more full look. See a sample on this website: groups.yahoo.com/group/Playtime_RubberStampTechniquesOnly/.

If you're not a member, you can join to access photos, files, etc. It's fast, easy and FREE. Go to "Photos". Then, "Creations by Kathie McGuire". Then, "Free CD card. You'll see an example of silver embroidery floss, used like ribbon, as a bright and sparkly addition to my black and silver card!

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Site last updated December 4, 2004