Chic corsages and cute hairslides

How to recycle your ribbons

Orange ribbon corsage

Do you save the ends of a reel of ribbon, the scraps of ribbon leftover from a decoration or gift?

But rather than find something useful to do with them they languish in a drawer?

If this sounds like you, then horde your decorative odds and ends no more! Here are a couple of ideas of how you can make use of those ribbon scraps from thegreengables.co.uk.

About The Green Gables
The Green Gables is a company that sells accessories and homewares, including bunting, bags, aprons and framed prints, with a vintage feel and a lot of love. Everything that is made has a story to tell – whether it’s a piece of clothing that has been remade into something new or an item whose story is yet to be told.

The company also strives to tread a little more lightly on the planet and so reuses packaging and wherever possible recycles material. Fabrics are sourced from local independent stores and all items are posted out using the local post office.

As well as making new pieces they also offer a bespoke service where they remake outgrown but cherished clothing into new items to use, display or give as gifts.

Remade clothes have a special story of their own to tell. Parents often hold on to their children’s outgrown items of clothing because they are too special to them to give away. Although they hang on to the clothing they don’t want it to just sit in a drawer or a box, never being seen or used.

This is where The Green Gables can help. They can remake beloved clothing into new items that can be used. From bunting to cushion covers, clothing to bags – each and every item is lovingly made!

To make a ribbon corsage

YOU’LL NEED: 4 x pieces of co-ordinated ribbons (approx 8cms), thread, needle, button and a brooch pin or safety pin

METHOD

1 Join the ends of one piece of ribbon to make a loop and sew a couple of stitches to keep the ends together. Do the same with the other three pieces.

2 Take your first loop and layer a second one on top at a slight angle. Add the third and fourth and space them out evenly.

3 Stitch through the layers a few times to secure the loops together in their corsage shape. You don’t need to be super neat as these stitches will be covered up.

4 Place your button on the centre and sew it to your corsage.

5 Sew your brooch pin, or safety pin, to the back of the corsage - try to keep it neat if you’re giving this as a gift but no-one will see once you’re wearing the corsage.

And that’s it! Pin it to a top for instant jewellery or pretty up a bag by pinning it to a strap.

I made a second corsage from one length of ribbon and layered up two contrasting coloured buttons for a different effect.

To make a ribbon bow hair slide

YOU’LL NEED: A piece of ribbon and a hair grip

METHOD

Tie the piece of ribbon into a bow. Slide a hairgrip into the back of the knot and then fix in your hair. Super simple!

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