How to Permanently Curl Fabric Ribbon

Loosely curl fabric ribbon to top a special gift.

Transform some plain, straight ribbon into curly embellishments for hair bows, gift bows, clothing and other craft activities. Grosgrain ribbon holds a great curl in ribbons of a variety of sizes. Make large and loose curled ribbons to embellish the waistline of a child's dress or make tiny tight ribbons and bunch them together to make a curly korker hair clip. Let a child help to make the accessories by winding the ribbons into shape on wooden dowels and then pulling the bouncy curls off when they are complete.

Things You'll Need

• Grosgrain ribbon (1/4-inch to 1/2-inch-wide)
• Wooden dowels or skewers
• Heat-proof clip
• Cookie sheet

Instructions

1. Cut the ribbon into strips about 16 inches long. This is an ideal length for making hair bows, but you can adjust the length of the ribbons according to your preferences. Use ribbon between 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch wide.

2. Wrap one of the ribbons around a 1/2-inch-wide wooden dowel or skewer tightly. Adjust the width of the wooden dowel if you would like tighter or looser curls. Hold the ribbon ends to the dowel or skewer with heat-proof clips. Repeat to attach each piece of ribbon to a wooden dowel.

3. Line up the dowels or skewers on a cookie sheet. Bake the ribbons in the oven for at least 30 minutes at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and allow the curly ribbons to cool.

5. Take the clips off the ribbon ends. Pull very gently to loosen and then remove the ribbons from the dowels.

Tips & Warnings

• Adjust the length of ribbon you cut by the width of the dowel rod. Tighter curls will shorten the length of the ribbon more than looser curls.

• This only works with fabric ribbon.

• Supervise children when making permanently curled fabric ribbon.

References

• "The Complete Photo Guide to Ribbon Crafts"; Elaine Schmidt; 2010

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish