Beautiful silk ribbon is the base for this adorable silk butterfly. These butterflies are pretty and bright and “blinged” out with embellishments galore.
This tutorial is brought to you by Rebeca from Clips N Things. I’m so glad to be sharing another tutorial through The Ribbon Retreat’s blog. Be sure to check out my facebook page to see what else I have created.
Today I will be showing you how to make a silk butterfly you can attach to a clip or headband. This butterfly looks fancy with the satin ribbon and embellishments.
Materials used:
7/8” Satin Ribbon in dusty rose and lemon
Korker Ribbon in yellow
Crystal Stickers in Clear
Glue Gun
Lighter
Needle and thread
3/8” Grosgrain Ribbon to line clip
Alligator Clip
Ribbon Adhesive (to line clip)
GripZies
Optional:
1/4” Skinny Elastic for a headband
1” Felt Circle
~Silk Butterfly~
Measure out materials.
My butterfly measured 2.5” wide, and I used 12” of satin ribbon and heat sealed the ends.
Cut a 1.5” section of korker ribbon and again, heat seal the ends.
You will be making a pinwheel bow without any tails.
Find the centre of the ribbon and slightly crease it.
Make a figure eight with the ribbon, making sure the ends meet at the centre crease, and overlap about 1/4”. (I forgot to heat seal my ends).
Find the middle of each loop and bring it to the centre. Hold this shape using an alligator clip.
Hold your bow with the ends facing away from you and insert the threaded needle from the front to the back, then front, then to the back then to the front again. (4 needle inserts).
I find this is the easiest way to make the bows and they come out the same every time. You will start at the front and end at the front.
Cinch your bow at the middle, wrap your thread a few times around and tie off at the back.
You can add a small piece of ribbon in a coordinating colour around where you sewed the bow to give it a more finished look.
Glue your korker ribbon to the middle of your bow.
Use your crystal stickers to embellish the wings. Attach the butterfly to a lined alligator clip or to a headband with a felt circle.
Here are some examples of what you can do to change the look of your butterfly.
If you use a wider ribbon you will get fuller wings. The left butterfly was made with 1 1/2” satin ribbon. You can also make a single bow with the 7/8” satin ribbon and attach a longer piece of korker ribbon to make a dragonfly. You can also use googly eyes if you choose to.
I hope you enjoyed making this butterfly. You can use anything you have to embellish the wings, and you can use any colour satin ribbon and any colour korker for the body.
Hope you enjoy!
Thank you Rebeca! This little silk butterfly is so cute. I love how Rebeca uses ribbon to make the prettiest little animals. Rebeca is a very talented person and creates so many adorable ribbon sculptures that are just as fun as these cute little butterflies. Check out her Butterfly and Turtle Hair Clips, Baby Chick Hair Clips, and Bunny Hair Clips. These hair clips are so fun and innovative. Check them out and have fun creating these little beauties. 🙂
The Ribbon Retreat has so many great ribbon options for you to use to create these ribbon sculptures that are perfect for welcoming in the nice weather and upcoming summer days. We also carry embellishments galore to add some “bling” and finishing touches to your hair clips and all other projects you are working on. Thank you for joining us today. 🙂
Happy Creating!
One Comment
That is very cool, thanks so much for sharing this! My parents and I have done similar activities in the past using all sorts of materials and designs. One time, I used a satin ribbon to create a part of a bird that looked really cool when I was done with it!