Hand-Stamped Drop Cloth Ribbon Tutorial

August 28, 2013

I'm calling it 
Royal Ribbon.


Wanna know how I made it?

Start with one handy-dandy canvas drop cloth from any one of your favorite big-box hardware stores.  I already had one from Home Depot.  Just prewash it, throw it in the dryer, and you're ready to go.

Iron it, then make a small cut with scissors at whatever width you're interested in making your ribbon.  Initially I made the small cut at the one and a half inches wide mark.  (You'll see why in a minute.)  Cut the slit with your scissors about an inch in length from the edge of the cloth, then let her rip!  Just pull the fabric apart at the ripped area, all the way up the fabric till you get to the other end.  And voila, you end up with this.


 Well, you do have to stamp it, of course.  And stamp it I did, with these.


 And these.


All you need are an ink stamping pad, gel stamps and a stamping block to secure your stamps on.


I just love the French-y twist of the stamp pack I found at Michael's for a song.  Really, it was on clearance for $2.39. Oh, and don't worry about the strings (there'll be a lot).  Just gently pull them off and the fabric should automatically stop unravelling.  I love the fringe you're left with.

Since I'll be selling this at my show next weekend {Festival of the Vine in Geneva, IL Sept. 7th-8th, be there or be square} I decided to wrap the ribbon around some vintage thread spools I picked up for a quarter a piece in a great junkin' store in Des Moines, Iowa a few weeks ago. (Hence the one and a half inch width, it fits the spool perfectly.)


I even tried my hand at making some faux grainsack ribbon after reading about it on Homeroad


I made this one three inches in width, and then used two paint pens (regular and thin) to draw the lines.  I can't say that I'm in love with how it turned out.  Maybe it's because I really wanted to make one with maroon lines but Hobby Lobby did not have a paint pen anywhere near that color.  And I don't trust myself to freehand it.  So I bought blue instead.  It's another traditional grainsack color, just not what I decorate with personally. So I ended up liking Susan's better.  What do you think?

Overall I'm thrilled with the outcome on the narrower stamped ribbon, and can't wait to use it for gift-wrapping as well as for home decor projects.

Any questions?  You can leave them in the comments or e-mail me directly.  I'd love to know if you've ever tried your hand at this and how it turned out.  For now, I'm happy with my little Royal Ribbon project!



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xoxo


I'll be partying here:



Leave a Comment!

Betsy@My Salvaged Treasures said...

This is on my "must do" list now. I have remnants of drop cloths and I have big wooden spools. Thanks for the inspiration Kathleen.

Anonymous said...

This is too cute! I'm with Betsy, it's on my "must do" list! Love each pattern! Thanks for sharing this cute idea!

kellythom747 said...

I love these and am planning on doing something similar- very pretty!

Jacqueline said...

Thanks for visiting me! These are fabulous and wrapped around those wooden spools, they are sure to be a hit! What a clever idea. They would make such a nice gift for friends (thinking Christmas already!) Thanks for this beautiful idea.

Tammy N said...

What cute decorative ribbon. So pretty to look at and use.

The Polka Dot Closet said...

That should be a great seller, love that it is on a spool! I have done it before on torn muslin to wrap around vintage books, but never in mass amounts. Now get tons of pictures at your show....I love show pictures, so many great ideas!

Carol

Anonymous said...

this will be a hot seller for sure! Love it! :)

Jane B. said...

Wow, cool drop cloth ribbon! Thanks for sharing and for linking up to Frugalicious Firday :)

Art and Sand said...

I am big on ripping fabric and on drop cloths, but I haven't stamped on the strips. Another project to add to my long list.

Debra@CommonGround said...

love that wonderful grainsack ribbon!!

Daniela @Frugal Aint Cheap said...

what a wonderful and creative project. Love the different stamps and colors. I am sure they will be gone in no time

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

That looks great, Kathleen! I've wondered about trying it myself on some muslin fabric, but since I do have some drop cloth here I may give that a shot.

Decor To Adore said...

My heart is beating faster! I adore anything French and with crowns. Many thanks for this wonderful tutorial.

KimMalk said...

Totally, love this Kathleen! I want to make some for myself. Hugs, Kim

Barbara Jean said...

sweet.
thanks for sharing.
be blessed
barb

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