Some ribbon, some glue and you can easily
give an old frame a new lease on life.

Imagine the many ways you can personalize
the following covered frame design.  I
have illustrated the project using a standard 5” X 7” X 1/2” frame, but any ½”
frame will work as well.  Simply increase
ribbon lengths and rosettes.

I selected an especially colorful 1 ½”
ribbon to bring happiness to this tired old frame.

MATERIALS:

• May Arts Ribbon, item # TR47  –  3.5
  yards

• Frame  -  5”
  X 7” X ½”

• Tape measure

• Scissors

• Permanent glue stick

• Hot glue gun

• Tooth picks (not colored)

• Permanent spray adhesive

• Small white buttons  -  10 mis-matched

TO DO:

• Measure the sides of the frame for the exact lengths. 5″ X 7″ could
  mean the outer dimensions or the size of the opening.

• Cut 2 pieces of ribbon the exact length of the 2
  long sides plus ½” and the same for the short sides.

• Fold under all eight ribbon ends as shown in ILLO. #2a. The
  angle is approximately 45 degrees measured from the edge of the ribbon to
  be placed on the frame’s inner edge.

• Finger
  press these folds and secure with a scant bit of glue stick – applied with a
  toothpick.

• Fold, press & glue the remaining raw ribbon ends as shown
  in ILLO. #2b these folds will prevent any fraying at the corners.

• Working with one ribbon piece at a time, coat lightly with
  spray adhesive following the label’s directions.

• Carefully place ribbon on frame.  Wrap the ribbon’s inner edge slightly
  around the frame’s edge.  (NOTE that since this ribbon is an
  asymmetrical plaid, care must be taken to position all four sides with the same
  colors innermost and to keep lines as straight as possible.)

• Wrap the remainder of the ribbon’s width
  around the frame – smoothly and firmly.
  If there are small areas that don’t want to stick, correct this with a
  bit of glue stick, using a toothpick.

• One-at-a-time – repeat these steps for the
  opposite side of the frame and then for the 2 remaining sides.

• Now the frame
  should be securely covered, showing no raw edges.

TO MAKE RIBBON ROSETTES

• Cut 10 pieces of ribbon 7 ¼” long.

• Fold ribbon piece in
  half, ends together. Thankfully, this
  ribbon has no right or wrong side to be concerned with.

• By hand or machine, stitch the 2 ends together, with a ¼” seam.

• Fold the resulting ribbon loop in half – seam inside.

• Very
  close to the folded edge, using long hand or machine stitches through both
  ribbon layers, sew completely around the loop.  Be aware that the 2 sides of the folded ribbon are
  different.  Keep this in mind when
  making rosettes.   Gather these
  stitches as evenly as possible by carefully pulling the thread, then
  securing the gathers with several strong back stitches on the back of the
  rosette.

• Distribute gathers evenly around the center of the
  rosette.  If it appears too open or
  too loose, make small adjustment stitches on the back.

• Stitch a small button neatly over the gathered centers of each
  rosette.

• Using a hot glue gun or other fast-acting
  adhesive, consult the original photo for placement and secure the rosettes in
  place.

Your finished frame can hang from an unseen
wire across the back, a showy ribbon hanging on the wall, or poised on an
easel.  Remember, it looks good, coming
or going.

Food for thought:  A decorative ribbon like this plaid can be
manipulated into different designs. Below, notice the color and size variations
determined by where the ribbon is folded and where it’s gathered.

Blog Posted By:  Ellen Highsmith
Silver