Ribbon Weave Tutorial: Use Ribbon to Dress Up Your Table

I am always on the lookout for decorating ideas for special occasions.  My two requirements are: Does it use items which are commonly available to me living abroad?  And is it affordable?  I find many of the fabulous ideas out there don’t make the cut because they are either hard to implement without access to fully stocked craft store or are cost prohibitive. 

That’s why I absolutely love this idea.  You can find ribbon almost anywhere in the world and usually it is reasonably affordable. 

  

photo: marthastewartweddings.com

I adorned our table for Easter Brunch  in turquoise, navy blue and yellow (inspiration from here) this year.   Unfortunately, there are no pictures because it was a dark, rainy day and because I was too busy keeping my 18 month old from undoing my ribbon weave.  After the fourth time of reweaving ribbons, my husband said, “Well, dear, just remember, Martha Stewart never had a busy little boy helping her decorate.”   Indeed! 

The hardest part of this project is figuring out how much ribbon you will need in each color.  After that, it’s a breeze!

1. Put your tablecloth on the table, then decide how far you want the ribbon to fall from the edge of the table. 

2.  Measure the length of your desired look.  Multiply this number by the amount of times you plan to use the ribbon length wise.  

For instance, in the picture above, the green ribbon is used twice down the middle of the table.  Say the table is six feet long and you want a six inch drop on each side.  That’s seven feet. 

7 ft. x 2 times = 14 ft.

3.  Measure the width of your desired look.  Multiply this number by the amount of times you plan to use the ribbon width wise. 

Going back to Martha’s picture, the green ribbon is draped four times across the width of the table.  Let’s imagine the table is three feet across and you want a six inch drop on each side.   That’s four feet. 

4 ft. x 4 times = 16 ft.      

4.  Add the total length and the total width of the ribbon. 

14 ft length + 16 ft width = 30 feet of green ribbon 

5.  Determine how many times you will use each of the additional colors.  Complete steps two through four to determine the total yardage you will need for each color.  This will go quickly since you already know your width and length! 

6.  Buy, weave, make your guests feel valued and loved. 

If you are able, buying ribbon in differing widths adds more interest to the look.  If you can’t, who cares!  It still looks great!      

For the actual weaving process, I laid all the lengths first, then weaved in all the widths. 

Too complicated or expensive?  Then how about this idea from my pre-blogging days? 

 

All you need is one thick ribbon laid flat, one contrasting length of tulle twisted and one coordinating skinny ribbon twirled over it all. 

Ribbon is a great, affordable way to adorn your table!  An added benefit is that, unless you have a food fight, the majority of the ribbon will be reusable for other things after your meal! 

No matter where you live, no matter your budget, there is ALWAYS a way to make your family and friends feel loved by creating a beautiful table setting!