easy ribbon ruffle tutorial

I finally found a place mat I liked to make this place mat purse we posted recently (I found it at Anthropologie), but I thought it needed a little somethin' somethin'. My go-to accent these days is a ruffle. Frilly is good! This easy ribbon ruffle fit the bill perfectly. I also love it for papercrafts (see below).

Easy Ribbon Ruffle Tutorial

Supplies:
*Length of ribbon
*Sewing machine & coordinating thread
*Seam ripper, pencil, or other small, pointed object


1.Put your ribbon under the needle and stitch a few stitches (I have used a straight stitch, zig-zag stitch, and a couple of my decorative stitches, all with great results). Stop with your needle down in the ribbon.


2. Using a seam ripper or pencil tip, push an inch or so of ribbon up toward the needle, forming a ruffle.


3. Continue sewing straight down the middle, right over the top of the ruffle.


4. Continue creating ruffles and sewing over them until your ribbon is the length you want it.


I often alternate the direction of my ruffles, as seen below.


To sew my ruffle ribbon on a project, I simply pinned it in place and sewed over the top of the original stitches.


I used a decorative stitch on this ribbon, and stapled it to this card.


I often use matching thread, but sometimes it's fun to use a contrasting thread, like on this scrapbook page.



As a gift to a friend without a sewing machine, I stitched a few feet of several ribbons into ruffles and included it in her Christmas gift (with other scrapbooking supplies). It's fun to stitch different colors just to have on hand. I {heart} ruffles!