Mixed Media Sari Ribbon Flowers and More

My favorite day of the week is Friday! Why? Because I get to spend it with the greatest group of viewers online. 😉 Seriously, I love Drama-free Fridays! As you can see, one of my Sponsors aka Chance loves to watch me and “help” me from time to time. Most of the time I'm perfectly capable of preparing by myself, 🙂 but he reminds me to stop and take a breath now and then. It's so easy for me to get lost in a project and Chance seems to sense when I need his help. First he tries gently patting me with a paw as if to encourage me back to reality. If that doesn't work, he “talks” to me and if you've ever been around a Siamese, you know what I'm talking about! And if that doesn't work, he just jumps right in the middle of whatever I'm doing!

Earlier in the week I discovered a new-to-me local store – Hillcreek Yarn where I found hanks of luscious Sari Ribbon. Oh my goodness! It's good that their assortment of colors was limited or I might have been tempted even more than I was! Sari Ribbon is from India and made from hand cut strips of reclaimed silk fabrics sewn end to end. It's perfect for freeform knitting and crochet, weaving, embellishing, embroidery, quilting techniques, mixed media collage and a lot more. 

When I think of silk, I love to take advantage of the luster to create flowers and Sari Ribbon is perfect for this. All you need is Tacky Glue and a sewing pin and the willingness to take your time. Start with a knot, apply glue and pinch it together with your fingers for a minute until the glue holds. Twist and wrap the ribbon, applying a sparing amount of glue as you go. Before you know it, you'll have a garden of blooms all finished.

You can create similar flowers with narrow strips of dyed, recycled tee shirts. I dyed my fabric with Adirondack Color Wash Dyes which are no longer manufactured. Any fabric dye will be fine to use instead. The process is exactly the same. Tie a knot, add some glue, twist, wrap and glue. Repeat. Easy!

Be sure to watch the video to see how to create an almost magical background with Elmer's Washable Gel Glue and acrylic paint. When dry, add it to a note card. Attach one of your flowers, a stem, a few leaves and give it to someone special. 🙂 Of course, I have to add a word or phrase, too.

To make a pin, arrange several blooms together. Add some beads for sparkle and a few leaves, too. I like to attach the whole piece to Wool Felt for stability and stitch a Bar Pin to the back. Below, you'll see a fun way to give a pin as a gift. Create a simple background, punch a couple of holes for the pin and it's all ready to give!

Please join me next Friday for another fun Drama-free Friday! I love chatting with you LIVE as we create. If you have any questions, be sure to leave them in the comment section below.

Thanks for joining me.

Until next time ~

Remember to Get Creative today! It's Easy!

Barb

PS – If you enjoy what I do, check out HowToGetCreative.com where you'll find loads of creative arts videos!