How to Make Woven Ribbon Jewelry

Diane Gilleland, contributor

12 users recommend

Woven ribbon makes a glossy, colorful covering for a simple button pendant.

Katin Imes

These weaving-covered buttons make cute pendants, pins, and rings. They can also be sewn to a handbag or garment.

Katin Imes

Fusible interfacing gives the weaving stability.

Diane Gilleland

Woven ribbon makes a glossy, colorful covering for a simple button pendant.

Photo: Katin Imes

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I love the look of woven ribbons! So glossy, so precise. Ribbon fabric lends itself beautifully to this simple covered-button jewelry.

What you'll need:

• Four spools satin ribbon, 1/8 inch and 1/4 inch
• Scissors
• Blue painter's tape
• Plastic seaming needle (available at yarn stores)
• Lightweight fusible interfacing
• Iron
• 1-inch and 1-1/2-inch covered button kits (available at fabric stores)
• E-6000 craft adhesive
• Pin back
• 2-inch eyepin
• Jump ring

A note before we begin: After you've woven the ribbon, you'll need to fuse some interfacing to it. It's quite challenging to move your finished weaving from your work surface to your ironing board for fusing, and so I just do my weaving right on my ironing board.

It's best to do the weaving right on your ironing board.

This project begins with blue painter's tape, which is a great craft supply. It's only lightly sticky, so you can tape things down and peel them back up without damage. Here, I have three pieces: one long and two short. I've placed the long piece, sticky side facing up, on my ironing board. The two small pieces are used to tape the ends of the long one down. So, to recap: the long piece is sticky side up, and the short ones are sticky side down.

Place the ribbons side by side on the sticky side of the painter's tape.

Cut 20 pieces of ribbon, each measuring 7 inches. I'm using two different colors here, 10 of each color. Place the ends side by side onto the sticky piece of tape, pressing them very gently to stick them to the tape. As you can see, you don't need to match up the ends.

Peel up the tape and turn it over in order to stick the ribbons down to the work surface.

When you have all 20 pieces stuck in place on the tape, peel it up and turn it over.

Burnish the tape well and cut off the end pieces.

Now, stick the long piece of tape down to the ironing board, trapping the ends of the ribbons underneath. Press the tape down firmly with your fingers.

Use a second piece of tape to anchor the other end of the ribbons to the work surface.

We'll use a second piece of tape to anchor all thee ribbons for weaving. So, flatten all those ribbons out as best you can with your fingers. Then, take a second long piece of tape. Stretch it across the bottoms of the ribbons and press it down lightly so the tape picks up the ribbons.

Then, hold this tape in your hand and gently move and adjust the ribbons sticking to its underside until they're straight and side by side. When they look good, press this tape down firmly to the ironing board with your fingers.

Cut another 20 7-inch lengths of ribbon. I'm using two new colors here, 10 pieces of each. (It's good to note here that you can use any configuration of ribbon colors you like for this project. There are endless possibilities. I would recommend that only one of your colors be a 1/4-inch ribbon. The rest should be 1/8-inch ribbons.)

Thread the first ribbon on a seaming needle and weave it in and out.

Thread the first ribbon on a plastic seaming needle and weave it over and under the taped-down ribbons. If you need to, you can weave your way halfway across, pull the ribbon through, and then finish weaving.

Push the ribbon up until it's snuggled against the tape.

When you've woven the strand all the way through, push it up until it's snuggled against the tape.

Repeat the process with the next strand, weaving it opposite to the first.

Thread another strand of ribbon onto the needle, and weave it in the opposite manner to the first one, as shown.

Snuggle the second strand right under the first.

Continue in this manner until you've woven all the way down to the second piece of tape. Be sure to straighten and groom your work as you weave.

Fuse a piece of lightweight interfacing to the finished weaving.

Cut a square of fusible interfacing the same size as the weaving, and fuse it over the ribbons. You can iron over the painter's tape briefly without damaging your ironing board.

When you've fused the interfacing to the ribbon, carefully remove the tape. Then, iron the ribbon again. It is critical that you get the interfacing completely fused to the ribbon so it won't fall apart when you're making covered buttons. So, iron and iron again.

Trim off the loose ribbon ends, then cut a circle 3/4 inch larger than the covered button blank.

When the fabric is thoroughly fused, trim off the ribbon ends on all four sides. Cut a circle from this fabric that's about 3/4 inch larger on all sides than the top of the covered button blank.

Remove the shank from the covered button blank by pinching it with your fingers.

To make jewelry with your button, you'll need to remove the wire shank. In the covered button blank I'm using here, the shank is just a piece of wire that's easily pinched out with your fingers. Other styles of covered button may require a pair of needle-nose pliers.

Place the button blank face down on top of the fabric circle.

Place the fabric circle, wrong side up, on your work surface. Place the top of the covered button, face down, on top of the circle. Notice the teeth around the edge of the button? Those will be important in a minute.

Wrap the edges of the fabric around the button blank, tucking them into the center.

Use your fingers to wrap the edges of the fabric around the button top. Wrap tightly. Those teeth will grab the interfacing on the back of the fabric and help hold it in place.

Press the back of the covered button into the front until they snap together. Protect the button surface with a piece of fabric.

Then, press the back of the covered button to the front. Follow the package directions.

Because the ribbon fabric is thick, you may need to use a pair of pliers to help snap the two pieces of the button together. If you do, remember two things: Protect the woven top of your button by placing some fabric between it and the pliers, and be careful to pinch only the edges of the button. If you squeeze the center of the button with the pliers, you could easily dent it.

When the two pieces have snapped together, you have a finished button! So let's make some simple jewelry.

To make a pin or ring, glue a finding to the back of the button with E-6000.

To make a pin, just use some E-6000 to attach a pin back to the back of the button. The same method works for a ring. If you prefer, you can cut a circle of wool felt to cover up the back of the button before you glue it to the finding. (Incidentally, if you're looking for ring blanks, Supply Riot carries them.

To make a pendant, bend an eyepin as shown.

To make a pendant, you'll need to add an eyepin to the button back before you assemble the button. Give the eyepin a couple of bends, as shown. You want the eye to line up with the top edge of the button.

Before assembling the button, insert the eyepin through the slit on the back.

Insert the top of the eyepin through the slit on the back of the button, as shown. This bent end will be hidden inside the finished button.

Install a jump ring on the loop in the eyepin.

Then, install a jump ring on the eyepin to accommodate the chain of your choice. I usually also put a spot of E-6000 under the top of the eyepin to help hold it in place against the back of the button.

These buttons have plenty of other uses, too. You could sew them to a cuff bracelet, or use them as embellishments on a handbag. You could glue them to hairpins. What else can you come up with?

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Comments (13)

Biijou writes: I luv it♥
Posted: 11:43 am on November 21st

Wendik writes: Do you think you could make a scarf using these steps?
Posted: 3:13 pm on October 26th

tracisallymaxx writes: Very cute. I love these
Posted: 10:16 am on September 14th

Emilyofme writes: it seems so stylish.I must try it yellow and red.My favourite.
http://www.worldtvpc.com
Posted: 11:12 am on December 21st

mattiefella writes: I've done lots of ribbon weaving and think these instructions and pictures for beginners are the best I've seen. Wish all instructions were this good!
Posted: 2:27 pm on October 15th

rheaganda writes: I HAVE SO MANY LEFT OVERS DIFFERENT COLOR RIBBONS AND THANKS FOR THAT VERY GREAT IDEA.
Posted: 8:40 pm on October 6th

creativeone writes: Creativeone writes: If you need a pair of cuff links for a blouse two of these buttons hooked together would make a neat pair.
Posted: 4:19 pm on October 4th

sukitu writes: I have been looking for a special button. This will be perfect. As a weaver I wonder why I didn't think of this. great idea!
Posted: 10:51 am on September 20th

Sister_Diane writes: susanstars - OOh, seriously! Love that idea!
Posted: 10:07 am on September 18th

susanstars writes: back again to mention that I want to try this with monochromatic ribbon - weaving the same color through for a subtler woven look - and maybe a small embellishment over the finished surface. Thanks again for the super great idea and tutorial!
Posted: 12:27 pm on September 16th

LitlBits writes: This same technique could be used, I would think, when using (esp. bulky) yarns....for buttons, trim on your knit and crochet items! Great idea! thanks so much!
Posted: 2:54 pm on September 13th

JennlovesSteve writes: I love this and I love the step by step directions!
I am going to go buy the stuff today!
Posted: 8:50 am on September 13th

susanstars writes: wow! that's such an awesome take on covering buttons! I love it :)
Posted: 7:41 pm on September 12th

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