May Day: A Ribbon’s Dream Come True!

Celebrated in many countries, May Day, also known as Beltane, is a traditional summertime festival. May Day is also an international day of celebration honoring workers.

The secular versions of May Day, observed in Europe and North America, may be best known for their traditions of dancing around the maypole and crowning the Queen of May. Fading in popularity since the late 20th century is the giving of May baskets, small baskets of sweets or flowers usually left anonymously on neighbors’ doorsteps.

Ribbon tassels on trees and long ribbon rolls for maypoles provide a splash of color for this festive day. While May Day traditions vary with each culture, ribbons will help enrich the festivities. From baskets of goodies to festive outfits, ribbons are perfect for this summer day!

Maypoles

A maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, around which a maypole dance often takes place.

These poles are a fun activity for all ages and are sure to use all of your ribbon rolls. Traditionally, boys and girls dance in opposite directions around the pole with their ribbons to form an intricate pattern. These ribbons are bright and colorful to represent the coming summer months. Dancers traditionally wear bells and colorful ribbons around their knees or ankles to keep the festivities light and fun.

Queen of May

The May Queen or Queen of May is a personification of the May Day holiday, and of springtime and also summer.

The chosen lady usually represents the queen by wearing a crown of flowers and colorful ribbons. And what another great use for your ribbon rolls! Make your crown with bright, cheerful ribbons to wear for the day. Women of all ages will love these crowns and will keep them as a remembrance of the day’s festivities.

May Baskets

From flowers to chocolates, these fun little baskets are traditionally left on doorsteps for friends, family and neighbors. People would pick flowers from their gardens or stuff baskets with goodies and anonymously leave them at doors. Adding personalized ribbons with sayings and thoughts for the holiday are sure to make your baskets unique and memorable.

So, whether you have plans to dance around a maypole or merely leave goodies for your neighbors, don’t forget the fun, colorful ribbons!

A Holiday Guide for Ribbon Use

When you think about holiday ribbons, don’t just think about Christmas!

Finding the right ribbon can be a challenge sometimes. But, we are here to make holiday ribbon use a little bit easier. From tying bows to decorating your home, holidays are meant to be synonymous with ribbons!

And, while it’s easy to come up with ideas for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, here are a few quick ideas to get your creativity going for the summer holidays.

Earth Day

The phrase, “Reduce, reuse and recycle” is something most know about this holiday. So, go green with some ribbons and show your support for this day. With special messages on badge ribbons or recognizing the date on a ribbon roll, green ribbons go great with everything. Use badge ribbons for bookmarks or awards for people who make an extra effort to keep your life green and running smoothly.

Administrative Professionals Day

Wrap up a quick and thoughtful gift for the one in your business life that makes everything a little bit easier. Personalized ribbon rolls with a name or a nice quote are perfect for administrative professionals. Trust us, they know the importance of branding for your company and they will appreciate a little branding for themselves. So, whether it is an entire ribbon roll or a small bit of ribbon wrapped around a pencil holder, they will appreciate the thought.

May Day

Ribbon tassels on trees and long ribbon rolls for maypoles provide a splash of color for this exclusive day. While May Day traditions vary with each culture, ribbons will help enrich the festivities. From baskets of goodies to festive outfits, ribbons are perfect for this summer day!

Mother’s Day

Wrap up her favorite flowers in a simple, or complex, bouquet. Whether you put them in a vase, or give them in a bundle, those Mother’s Day flowers are sure to look even better with a long strand of personalized ribbon wrapped around them. Make the ribbon her favorite color and customize the ribbon roll to say something special!

Memorial Day

Red, white and blue are superb colors for this holiday. From decorations to awareness ribbons, you are sure to find a way to use most any ribbon for this celebratory day. Table runners, centerpieces and door wreaths will all benefit from colorful ribbon rolls. Use badge ribbons to designate veterans and others at your holiday party.

Father’s Day

Men like ribbons too! There are many ways to use ribbon rolls for Father’s Day as well. Use the holiday ribbon to make your father a special tie card, or wrap up a present with your specialized message of love.

So, no matter which of the holidays you are celebrating, let a little color and ribbon into your day!

Creative Ribbon Flowers and Roses

Who needs a garden when you can have flowers all the time?

Spring is in the air, and flowers are blooming everywhere. But, if you’re like me, you want flowers all year long. So, here is a quick ribbon tutorial to make some bright, fun flowers that will last a very long time.

Simple Loop Daisies

These fun flowers can be as bright or as mellow as you want them. Choose anywhere from one to three or four colors when you create this masterpiece. These particular flowers were made from 3/8 inch grosgrain ribbons.

Cut each ribbon to your desired length remembering that exterior colors will need to be longer than the inside ones. Using a needle and thread, start sewing these ribbons into small loops. Start by stacking your ribbons with one end of each ribbon lined up square with the others. Once this is done, push your needle through. Then, line up the other ends to create your loop. Repeat this process until you have eight to ten loop sets finished.

Once you have these done, remember to tie off the ends of the thread. Then, apply a little dab of glue to connect the two ends to form the flower. If you want, add a button or other accent piece to the top of the flower to embellish it to your taste!

Knotted Chrysanthemums

This flower will use about 24 ribbon strips. How full your flower will be is dependent on the ribbon width and length. Start by placing a knot in the middle of each ribbon strip. You can make the knots as loose as you want. Remember that the tightness of the knots will make your flower vary in appearance.

Once each ribbon strip has a knot, form them into loops and either sew or glue them together. Sewing will allow for shaping once the flower is all put together. Continue sewing each ribbon strip to the others until you reach the desired look. And, when that is finished, add any center embellishment you wish.

Ribbon Roses

One of the easiest ways to turn a strip of ribbon into a flower is with this rose tutorial. Start with about two feet of ribbon roll. Use a running stitch along one end of the snipped ribbon and down one side of the ribbon the full length. Finish the stitch by running it along the other end and tie your thread off.

Once this is done, tie one ribbon end into a knot and carefully gather the ribbon together around this knot. Then, hold the knot in one hand and wrap the rest of the ribbon length around it. Arrange the folds and petal shapes into the desired effect and sew the bottom of the rose together so it will hold its shape.

Finishing Touches

Add stems to each of these ribbon flowers and put them in a decorative vase to display in your favorite place. Or, add a clip to the back and wear them in your hair or on a lapel. How about using them as table scatter? No matter your choice, each flower is sure to find its place in your home and your heart!

Creative Embroidery Ribbons

Flowers, houses and hats are perfect subjects for the artwork created with this creative ribbon embroidery!

When most people think of ribbon rolls, they consider wrapping presents or decorating for a party or some other function. Some people, however, think “what can I do with this that will make it quirky?” Here’s another idea to get your creative juices flowing!

Embroidery is the handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn.

The basic techniques or stitches on surviving examples of the earliest embroidery (chain stitch, buttonhole or blanket stitch, running stitch, satin stitch, cross stitch) remain the fundamental techniques of hand embroidery today.

The fabrics and yarns used in traditional embroidery vary from place to place. Wool, linen, and silk have been in use for thousands of years for both fabric and yarn. Ribbon embroidery uses narrow ribbon in silk or organza blend ribbon, most commonly to create floral motifs.

While the most common things embroidered are flowers, these twisted and folded ribbons are perfect to make any artwork piece come to life. And the best part is these ribbons look great as framed wall art or on throw pillows on your favorite chair.

embroidery using satin ribbons to make flowers and other art pieces

embroidery using satin ribbons to make hats and other art pieces

embroidery using satin ribbons to make houses and gardens and other art pieces

With so many different stitches available, each look and flower will be as unique as the person making the art piece. And remember not to limit yourself to your design. Flowers are lovely, but so is a lady wearing a hat. Try making a house with a garden. And what about birds and other animals?

If you try your hand at this beautiful form of art, don’t limit yourself. Try different ribbon types and also different stitches. Keep your imagination flowing!

We’re always looking for new ideas for your favorite creative ribbons. Send us a message with your favorite way of using custom and stock ribbons today!

A Complete Guide to Badge Ribbons

Call attention to VIPs, sponsors, staff and more by attaching bright and functional badge ribbons to their name tag or badge holder.

What is a badge ribbon?
Badge ribbons are flat pieces of ribbon that can be either attached to a name badge or used as other promotional material. Many of these ribbons can be ordered as custom or stock and both have their own benefits. They can be printed with information that identifies speakers and staff or an assortment of other functions of people during conferences and other meetings. These imprinted ribbons prove to be valuable networking and marketing tools and are great for brand recognition.

How effective are badge ribbons?
The effectiveness of these ribbons can be seen commonly at conventions and conferences. They provide attention getting messages as well as giving off fun and conversational quips. Each badge ribbon is a colorful attention grabber that helps others in a functional way to realize what the wearer is all about. This can range from titles to duties and even to a funny message. They are great for marketing, brand recognition and promotional tools.

Who wears badge ribbons?
The list of who would wear one of these useful ribbons is endless. From speakers and presenters to officials and VIPs the titles are abundant. While most titles are available as stock ribbons, if you don’t find what you’re looking for, create your own custom ribbon.

Why do people wear them?
The most popular reason people wear ribbons is to identify specific titles or traits they might possess. They are also worn to market someone for their job responsibilities. Or, simply wear a badge ribbon with a silly message or word. With custom ribbons, text can be created to send any message the wearer wants.

Where are these type of ribbons worn?
Ribbons are worn in many places. Conventions, meetings, conferences, retail settings and professional office settings are just a few of the many places you can find badge ribbons.

When are badge ribbons most useful?
These imprinted ribbons are perfect for any fair, sporting event or other achievement day. Promote events and sales at conventions, conferences and meetings with classic badge ribbons. They are perfect for identifying titles or responsibilities of the wearer. And, they are extremely useful when promoting your brand or image.