It All Started with Scarlet Ribbons - Double Ribbon Handbag Charm

When I was a little, the class above us sang Scarlet Ribbons and were the stars at a local music festival... they also got to spend the early evening at the Kursaal in Southend, which was to a 10 year old one of the most exciting places in the whole wide world... they had a wall of death in there and I admit to being a tad disappointed when I saw it for the first time there there was no pile of bodies at the bottom!  At that time I wore my hair in plaits... this was after the incident when I had to have my hair cut when a hair roller could not be removed as my mother was going through her "daughter in ringlets" phase... I had mostly blue ribbons to go with my school uniform and I longed for scarlet velvet ribbons...  So I think that this might be when my love of ribbons bedded in and now even though my hair is too short for plaits, I have a rather decent collection of ribbons... just in case.

So this week as my garden has taken a bit of a beating with the rain and the wind I thought we could make a double ribbon flower bag charm with the aid of a little bit of hand sewing, which will bloom despite the weather... so let's get started, you will need:

2 yards of ribbon... up to you whether it contrasts or complements
Needle and thread to match your upper petal side
Ruler or tape measure
Matches
Felt circle
Air soluble pen
Decorative button
Handbag Clip
(You don't need an iron this week, although my mum did iron my ribbons and my socks too, but that is another story!)


Cut straight across the ribbon... OK, it has started to happen, the ribbon wants to unravel... light a match and  gently run it over the raw end of the ribbon and it will seal it... try not to set the ribbon alight, unless like my friends Marion and Elaine you want to check out the local firemen.

Pin the ribbons together so that the right sides are on the outside, at the top mark it an inch in continue to mark along at each inch, and at the bottom half an inch in, then continue to mark along at each inch.Thread up you needle and make a large chunky knot at the end, we are going to be gathering for England, so we do not want the knot to come undone... think Gordian with attitude!

 

Now we are going to do a running stitch from the corner to the mark half an inch in on the bottom and then up to the inch mark on the top.  Keep you stitches small and even, I have worked with four or five on each diagonal.

I find it easiest to gather as I go, working about half a dozen diagonals and then gently gathering them, you should finish up with a gathered strip of about 18". Firmly stitch with two or three stitches so that the gathers will not unravel.

Turn the ribbon over so that the front is face down and start working a spiral, catching petals with a slip stitch, this is going to look ugly, but do not worry because we are going to hide it.  Continue working around until it looks like an ammonite, and sew the end under.

Take a 6" length of ribbon and fold it over, stitch it to the back of your flower. In the centre of the flower, I have placed a little button to just lift the design a little.

Cut out a circle of felt which is slightly smaller than the circumference of the flower, pin it in place and slip stitch it onto the flower.

 

Thread it onto the handbag clip and pop it onto your bag... finally a flower which will not wilt!

If you don't have a local fabric shop with a decent haberdashery to source ribbons... I have Belle Fabrics in Leigh-on-sea and Bodkins in Thundersley or there are some fab ribbon sellers on line like Jane Means


And now, as is traditional on the blog, it is time to head over to Handmade Monday to see what everyone has been up to during this week.


Finally, if you wondered what it was that the 4th year of Our Lady of Lourdes Primary school sang with such aplomb in 1968, here is a charming version by Harry Belafonte.