How to Sew With Grosgrain Ribbon
Grosgrain ribbon is most often used as trim because it is sturdy, doesn't easily fray and won't shrink. Grosgrain fabric used to be used for formal jackets, but today, if you want grosgrain fabric you will sew lengths of ribbon together to make fabric and then cut it according to a pattern. This pattern is a whimsical embellishment for a child's T-shirt using just such an idea, and shaping it into an appliqué.
Things You'll Need
- Rose pattern
- Grosgrain ribbon
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Fabric
- Double-sided fusible pellon
- Black fabric marking pen
- Iron
- Pins
- White T-shirt
- Fabric glue
- Sequins
Instructions
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1
Find a simple rose pattern. Enlarge the pattern until it is suitable to fit on the front of a T-shirt.
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2
Select several lengths and shades of pink grosgrain ribbon. Designate the deepest colors of grosgrain ribbon to be the "cup" of the rose and the lighter pink, the "saucer". Place the deep pink ribbons side by side. Use the zigzag stitch on the sewing machine to stitch them together until you have a piece of solid fabric the size of the rose cup. Repeat this process with the lighter pink ribbons for each of the petals of the saucer. Finish with green ribbon for the leaves.
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3
Cut out the pieces of the rose pattern and trace their shapes on the different colored pieces of fabric. Then trace the same shapes on the double-sided pellon fabric with a fabric pen.
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4
Arrange the petals of the rose on the center of the t-shirt. Place the double-sided fusible pellon between the T-shirt and the rose petals. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to fuse the petals in place. Do the same thing with the darker cup of the rose. Add the leaves as desired.
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5
Use fabric glue to embellish the rose with sequins. Finish the design by sketching in the details of the rose with the fabric pen.
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Tips & Warnings
You may wish to make a basket weave of your ribbons to give extra detail to the appliqué. Zigzag them just as you did the side-by-side arrangement.
