The Ribbon Wreath that went Awry

I don't know about you, but I am completely addicted to Pinterest.  I have 27 boards with 1371 pins...and counting.  I find myself pinning more things than I am making, which is one of the reasons why I made the Finish 40 challenge for myself.

When I saw Landee's Ribbon Wreath I thought about the spools and spools of ribbon sitting in the Craft Oasis (what I affectionately call my crafting space) waiting to be used.  "I could do one for every holiday!" I thought.

Landee used a straw wreath form for her wreath (which I did as well for the Halloween wreath I made) but I knew that I had a Styrofoam wreath form in my stash of supplies and this would be the perfect opportunity to put it to use, especially considering I couldn't remember why I bought it in the first place.

I rounded up all the bright primary colored ribbon I had and set to work on making a "Back to School" wreath (which could also make a fantastic teacher gift). I do admit that I purchased a wide yellow ribbon to cover the wreath form, and I found a pack of ribbon that was school themed to add to my pile.  My husband, Phil, thinks its hysterically funny that I would buy more ribbon in order to use up the ribbon I had.

Well, yeah. That's how crafting works. ;)

I started by wrapping the thick yellow ribbon around the form, and then tied the ribbon into square knots, alternating width, color and pattern.

The result turned out nicely, and I hung it on the back of the front door.

Then, Wednesday of this week, as we were rushing out the door in the morning, I stopped and took a good look at the wreath. Something was wonky.  It must have fallen off the door one two many times, because the Styrofoam form had snapped in half in two places.

I didn't want all of the ribbon to go to waste, so I decided to redo it, with a different type of wreath form.  Using a straw wreath wasn't an option, as it would be far too thick to tie the already cut ribbon around.  A wire wreath form seemed the logical answer.

After untying all of the square knots and the wire yellow ribbon, I wrapped the frame in the yellow ribbon.

 

 

(that's quite a lot of ribbon!)

 

 

When you start tying, start with the thicker ribbons and then use the smaller to make sure every bit is covered.  Some of the ribbon I used is only printed on one side.  You have to flip the ribbon before you tie the second knot, so that the printed side of the ribbon is visible in the wreath.

 

The (second) finished product came out nicely.  The ribbon was a bit longer because the wire form wasn't as thick as the Styrofoam one, and therefore a bit fuller.  I like how the second wreath came out, although I might go back and trim some of the ribbon a tiny bit, particularly the thickest pieces so they don't seem to over shadow the rest.

 

I made a Halloween wreath too.  For this one, I did use a straw wreath form, wrapped in black ribbon.  I let more of the black base show through in this one, as all of the ribbons were orange and purple.

 

 

 

 

I think that I will stick with the straw from, as it provides more depth, and you can see the ribbon underneath better. I may do one for Thanksgiving, as I passed a display in Michael's the other day that held ribbon in beautiful fall colors. 

Shhh.  Don't tell Phil.

Let me know if you make any of your own ribbon wreaths!

Project #1 - Sailboat stitching

   Cross stitching is the first craft that I truly fell in love with (although when I first started, I think my parents may have used the word "obsessed" more than once). So it's rather appropriate that a stitching is my first project in my 40 project challenge.

   I was eleven when I learned how to stitch at a Christmas workshop at my family church.  The annual event invited people to decorate the sanctuary, make wreaths, yule logs, candy houses, and other various crafts, followed by a carol sing and a pot luck supper.  One year, one of the ladies in the church made up kits with all the supplies and patiently showed me how to make the little x's across the fabric to make an ornament.   I was hooked!  Ever since then, I have always had some cross stitch project in the works, (or two or three or maybe even more).  I find it relaxing, yet appreciate the amount of precise detail that is possible, especially when working with linen. 

   When I started doing more types of crafts, stitching fell by the wayside a bit, but I've found myself stitching more often in the past year and a half.  Our newly formed family likes to watch movies together and when everyone else is curled up, I claim my corner of the sofa, and go to work. 

 This project is part of a series of Seasonal Word Art from Cross Stitch and Needlework, my favorite stitching magazine for many years. There's a spring flower, fall leaves, a wintery snowman and I'd love to be able to complete them all.  I started with the sailboat with the hopes that I could actually finish it in time to hang it up over the summer.  It worked up really quickly. 

   Rather than using a traditional frame, I raided my fabric stash for some a bright and red and blue and sewed a frame.  I haven't finished a stitching quite like this before, but I think I will be doing it more often. It's a nice way to add some color to the finished product, use up fabric I already have, and it's certainly a lot cheaper than having something framed. 

Project #1 done!  Only 39 more to go.  Check in soon to see what's next!

Welcome!

   When you have spent your life enjoying several different crafts, it's all too easy to accumulate a large amount of crafty supplies, lovingly referred to by most as their "stash".  I learned how to cross stitch when I was eleven, so I have nearly thirty years of material, floss, magazines, and patterns stocked away. When I was about 25, I worked at a school where many of my colleagues quilted and they roped me in.  I started amassing fabric.  You know the feeling: "Ooo, that fabric's pretty. I'll get a yard."  When my oldest son was born, I started scrapbooking and was even a Creative Memories consultant for 8 years.  25 albums and still counting. Then I got hooked on Stampin' Up and card making.  Add a few more containers of paper, stamps, ribbons, buttons, etc.   A few years ago, a friend taught me how to knit and now there are skeins upon skeins waiting to be turned into scarves, since that's the only thing I know how to make.

   For seven years, I was a single mom, raising my two boys, working on projects after they were in bed.  Then, in the course of a year, I met the most wonderful man, fell in love, got married, and moved into his house. Let me tell you, having to pack everything up, move it, and rearrange it will make you realize just how much stuff your "stash" really holds.  I found UFO's (Unfinished Objects) that I had forgotten I had even started.  Baby quilts that were for babies who are now in Pre-K.  High school graduation quilts for college kids. 

  Then one day as I was flipping through a quilting magazine, (which I have mounds of) I saw an article about Tracee's Project: 36 quilts in 12 months. Tracee is making 36 quilts in her 36th year to give to people who are special to her.  I think it's fantastic idea and have enjoyed watching her progress.  While I would love to follow her example, I'm also realistic.  There is no way I could make 40 quilts in one year.  But I can try to finish the UFO's that I have and maybe use up part of my stash as I go.

So here's my challenge to myself in my 40th year - Make 40 projects.  A project could be a quilt, a scrapbook, a stitching, a scarf (someone needs to teach me how to make hats!) a set of cards (one card would be to easy and once you have out all the supplies, why not make 10 or 20?).  It could be finishing a UFO or starting something fresh.  A project might be from a magazine, something I've designed myself, or an idea that caught my eye from Pinterest.  I don't know where this journey through my crafting space will take me, but I don know it will be fun! I hope you'll come along for the ride!