How to Make a Ribbon Rosette

Ribbon rosettes are a simple and easy accessory to make. All you need is some ribbon, pinking shears, a needle and thread, and a button. These rosettes were made for a Handmade Hen Party that I helped organise. These ribbon rosettes look great worn on a jacket or cardigan like a brooch, or as a pretty addition pinned to a bag. You can raid your ribbon stash to see what you have or buy a few lengths of ribbon to make a special project. These ribbon rosettes were made as brooches that matched a wedding colour theme of purple, sage green and lemon yellow.

To make your own ribbon rosette follow these simple steps.

To make a handmade ribbon rosette you need to gather together a few different lengths of ribbon (see the list below). I used three colours as I wanted to contrast each layer of the rosette, using a wide dark coloured ribbon as the base layer through to a thinner light coloured ribbon as the final layer. I used pinking shears to cut the ribbon to make the ends of the ribbon pretty and to help ensure that the ends did not fray. You could use any colour of ribbon and use different widths of ribbon, these are just a guide of what I did.

What you'll need to make one rosette:

Purple ribbon - 63cm (2.5cm wide)
Sheer purple ribbon - 36cm (2.5cm wide)
Green ribbon - 39cm (1.5cm wide)
Sheer green ribbon - 20cm (1cm wide)
Pleated green ribbon - 20cm (1cm wide)
Yellow ribbon - 20cm (1cm wide)
Sheer yellow ribbon - 26cm (1cm wide)
Scrap of purple fabric
Small piece of iron on interfacing
Purple button
Safety pin
Purple and yellow thread
Pinking shears
Needle
To add a bit of sparkle you need one silver gem and glue

How to make a ribbon rosette:

1) Cut three pieces of wide purple ribbon each measuring 21cm long. I chose purple ribbon measuring 2.5cm wide.

2) Find a scrap of fabric in a similar colour to the wide ribbon you have selected. Use iron on interfacing to strengthen the fabric then cut a circle of fabric 5cm in diameter using your pinking shears.

3) Fold over each piece of purple ribbon so that the ends overlap each other by 2cm to 3cm. Thread your needle and make a knot in the thread. Arrange the three pieces of purple ribbon in a star shape like the picture below, where the ribbon overlaps make sure these face the back of the rosette. Pass the needle from the back of the ribbon star, through the middle of each piece of folded ribbon to the front and back through again. Do this a few times so that the three pieces of ribbon are securely fastened.

4) Add the fabric circle to the back of the rosette, this creates some stability for the rosette when you start adding the next few layers of ribbon.

5) Next, cut 3 pieces of sheer purple ribbon, 12cm in length. You can sew these to the back of the rosette now, or like I did added them at the end. I chose sheer purple ribbon that measured 2.5cm in width to compliment the solid purple ribbon.

6) Cut three pieces of green ribbon measuring 13cm each. Fold over each piece of ribbon with 1cm of overlap on each end, sew all three pieces together in a star shape like the image below.

7) Cut two pieces of yellow ribbon measuring 10cm each. Fold over each piece of yellow ribbon so that you double over equal lengths of ribbon. Here you will create a smaller set of ribbon pieces, sew together in a cross shape.

8) Cut 1 piece of sheer yellow ribbon, 2 pieces of sheer green ribbon and 2 pieces of pleated green ribbon, each of the 5 pieces measures 10cm in length. Arrange these together to create a tail for the rosette and securely fasten to the back of the fabric circle.

9) Cut two pieces of sheer yellow ribbon 8cm long and arrange on your rosette like the picture below.

10) Add the green and yellow ribbons on top of the sheer yellow ribbon pieces like the image below. Sew together passing the needle through the middle of all the ribbons and back through again.

11) Pass the needle back through the rosette and add a contrasting purple button for decoration. Sew the button on making sure you pass the needles through all layers so the rosette holds its shape, this provides the rosette with stability so go through the button a few times.

12) Add the sheer purple ribbon cut in step 5 to the back of your rosette. Now add a safety pin to the back and pin to your top! For an evening look I added a touch of sparkle by using some glue to attach a silver gem.

I made 14 of these rosettes for a Handmade Hen Party as a gift for everyone to take away.