more sewing for skills today as we talk about my favorite trim: ribbon!

what it is

ribbon, duh!

in my experience

of course ribbon is a great decorative accent. i used it in the roller skate dresses i made nora and etta for their first day of school in 2013.

i used it to accent the bodice of the holiday dresses i had made a year earlier.

and like flat piping under the yoke of their croquet dresses:

ribbon can also be a mock drawstring, like in the swirly swingset skirt:

and in the arrow swingset skirt.

ribbon can also be used instead of a thread chain for securing loop closures, like i did for the croquet dresses:

however my favorite use for ribbon was with maya's peacock dress and costume. sure it may have looked solely decorative...

but it was actually crucial for securing her fan.

finally ribbon is also a great way to have a special hem finish, on nora and etta's beatles dresses i used this poppy grosgrain to finish the kelly green lining.

recommended patterns

really any pattern can benefit from a little ribbon. but i do have once piece of advice: finish any exposed ends of the ribbon with a bit of fray check.