How to Make Plastic Canvas Awareness Ribbons

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Things You'll Need

  • Plastic canvas

  • Yarn to match the awareness color

  • Large eye needle

  • 1/4 inch wide ribbon to match colors

Awareness ribbons are displayed to remind anyone who sees them that we honor a variety of people and programs. We support those who are away from home with yellow, the fight against breast cancer with pink, AIDS with purple along with red, white and blue for our military. Awareness ribbons are also used to announce that we need to pay attention to important issues such as domestic abuse and more. You can make your own awareness ribbons to honor the theme and people of your own choice with plastic canvas needle point. These easy pieces can be made in pin, refrigerator magnet or ornament sizes. You can decorate an entire tree with awareness ribbons and embroider the names of survivors, victims or loved ones who are away from home.

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Step 1

Freehand draw or trace a refrigerator or car magnet on heavy paper or lightweight cardboard. Cereal boxes make good pattern material. You can also find the outline drawing of an awareness ribbon at free coloring pages online. Just enter "free coloring pages awareness ribbon" in your search engine. To adjust size place the pattern on a scanner and scan to enlarge or reduce to the size you want.

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Step 2

Cut out your pattern. Place on the plastic canvas and trace around it with a marker. Cut the ribbon shape out of the canvas. Trim any nubs of plastic around the edges of the pattern.

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Step 3

Thread the yarn into needle. Knot the end and stitch into the plastic canvas on the right hand bottom side of the ribbon to hide knot in the back..

Step 4

Fill in the area with the continental stitch.

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Step 5

Stitch the left bottom side of the ribbon with continental stitch and continue up around the rest of the ribbon. Finish off the ribbon by outlining the entire piece with an overcast stitch.

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Step 6

Stitch a 12 inch piece of 1/4 inch satin ribbon to the back of the plastic canvas ribbon for a hanger. Tie the two ends of the ribbon into a single bow and double knot to keep it from untying. Hang anywhere you choose. If you have made a 3 to 4 inch long decorative pin sized awareness ribbon sew a safety pin to the back of the piece to attach to clothing.

Tip

Use a slightly darker shade of your chosen color to make the shadow at the top bottom of the awareness ribbon if desired.

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