Silk Ribbon Smoothing Tips

Silk Ribbon Smoothing Tips

Our silk ribbons are handmade featuring beautiful raw frayed edges. So, working with them can be tedious as it's delicate but the results are so elegant (and honestly so rewarding).

 

A very brief history...

Ribbon-making dates back to the Middle Ages, however, there are accounts of it starting even earlier in the 11th century, St. Etienne, France. The word "Ribbon" may have come from the the word Ribban, Riban or Ruban originating from Middle English, Old French and German respectively according to Simply Ribbons. Ribbons made of silk is thought to have originated in Italy which was then brought to France and spreading into the United Kingdom around the 14th to 15th century.

Today...

Ribbons come in all sorts of fabrics, colours and shapes. Silk ribbons are considered a luxury compared to other types of fabrics. It is widely used especially in fashion, gifting and weddings which is the perfect way to elevate the very thing you are decorating. In wedding stationery, silk ribbons can be used to tie invitations or embellish vow books, the possibilities are endless. On your wedding day, silk ribbons can be tied to the bouquets, ceremony chairs and or table scapes.

 

Why do silk ribbons crease?

Silk is smooth and soft which makes the ribbon delicate and will crease when it's been tied or stressed in any way. Not to worry! Even though it's spooled, it will still crease delicate, it is also an incredibly durable fabric. 

Follow the few steps that can help you fix that little crease.

What do I need?

  • Hair Straightener or Iron (the Cricut Easy Press works!) & Heat Resistant Mat
    It is highly recommended that the above devices must have a low-temperature setting. The heat resistant mat is for resting your device on.
  • Silk Ribbon
    If you purchased silk ribbon from our shop these tips will definitely help! Otherwise, please check with your silk ribbon supplier first (real silk will not burn if low-temperature heat is applied). 

 

What are the steps?

  1. Prepare the silk ribbon.

    You may already have tied the silk ribbon and want to give it a final touch or preparing the entire spool. Either way is perfectly fine!

  2. Turn on your hair straightener or iron.

    Make sure whichever device you are using is in a low-temperature setting. This is really important as you do not want to overheat or potentially burn your silk ribbon if your device has a very high setting.

  3. Flatten the silk ribbon.

    Very important! You will need to flatten the silk ribbon as much as possible. If you do not flatten the area and apply heat, it will further crease the pattern or fold which will make it harder to smooth once heat is applied.

  4. Apply & smooth out the silk ribbon.

    Using your hair straightener or iron on a low-temperature setting, gently apply pressure to smooth the silk ribbon. 

  5. Et violà! 

    Perfect, you did it! Your silk ribbon is now beautiful and smooth again. Keep repeating the same steps and you will get the hang of it. If you found these tips helpful, share it with a friend or tag us on Instagram with your silky smooth silk ribbons.

I am a visual person, do you have videos I can refer to?

Absolutely! If you are a visual person, you can scroll down and watch the reels from my Instagram. Make sure you bookmark it on Instagram so you can watch it back later. 

 

I hope this blog post was helpful. Whether you are curious about making your own wedding stationery, bookmark this blog so you can always come back to it. 

Much love, Keth ♡

 

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If you follow me on Instagram or Tiktok, you would be familiar with videos I share. Below are two Instagram reels that feature a quick tip on smoothing silk ribbons on vow books, prepping silk ribbons and pro tip to smoothing spooled silk ribbons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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