A couple of weeks ago I was at Michaels and all of the Halloween ribbon was on sale half price. How could I resist a deal like that? So I came home with a couple of fun, bright patterns. As I was trying to find space to cram them into my overflowing ribbon rack, I decided that some sort of Halloween craft incorporating ribbon was a must. So I grabbed my new spools, as well as some ribbon left over from my ribbon-wrapped wire pumpkin project, and started brainstorming. When I came across a few small embroidery hoops that I bought from a discount shop near my grandparents’ house, a little lightbulb went on in my head. Idea! And so these cute little stripey Halloween decorations came to be.

Project estimate:

• Embroidery hoops, on hand or about $.75 each and up
• Ribbon, on hand or $1 and up
• Spray adhesive, on hand or about $3 and up
• Shower curtain liner or scrap fabric, $1
• Chipboard letters, on hand or $1

Total:  $1 and up

Remove the center from one of the embroidery hoops.  Use it as a template to trace three circles onto a piece of shower curtain liner.  I chose the liner because it was cheap, thin, pliable, and was a good surface for my spray adhesive to stick to.  You can also use scrap fabric for this, but make sure it’s a light, solid color; any patterns may show through the ribbon, and dark colors could make the ribbon look discolored.

Spray the circles with adhesive.  You want to use adhesive with a permanent bond for this, and work fairly quickly before it dries completely.  (Most permanent spray adhesives have an extended tack time that will allow you to make any adjustments needed before it becomes permanent.)

Cut the ribbon into pieces and line them up side-by-side until you have completely covered each circle.  Use your fingernail to burnish the surface, making a firm bond between the ribbon and the shower curtain.   Let the adhesive dry.

Carefully mount each sheet of ribbon strips in an embroidery hoop.  You can choose to align the stripes so that they all go in the same direction, or arrange them so that each hoop is a little bit different for a more random look.  Flip the hoops over and trim off any excess shower curtain and ribbon from the back side.

(You can see a couple of places where the ribbon puckered a little as I was putting the embroidery hoops around them; later I went back with a tiny dab of contact cement on a q-tip and touched it up.  This happened the worst on the piece I did last because the glue was too dry by the time I added the ribbon; to prevent this, if I were to do it again I would spray adhesive on my circles one at a time instead of all at once!)

To finish the look, add a simple sentiment using chipboard or wooden letters.  I used spray paint to make mine bright yellow and give them good contrast against the ribbon background.  My letters had a peel-and-stick backing, but if yours don’t a few dabs of hot glue should do the trick.  Now hang them on the wall and admire your handiwork!