Ribbon Swatches

How irritating is it to muddle through a bunch of different spools of ribbon just to find the right one for your project. I've had this problem more than once. So what to do besides pull your hair out? Make Ribbon Swatches! I know this isn't a new concept, but I didn't really put two and two together until I saw a rendition of them at Costco for their ribbon display. Here is my take on them.

You'll need:
Deck of playing cards from the Dollar Store (or other sturdy card stock)
Binder Rings
Staples
Pinking Shears or Straight Scissors
Candle (optional for sealing edges)
Standard Size Hole Punch (I used a Crop-A-Dile)

Here is how I did it...

First get a deck of playing cards. You may need more than one if you have a lot of ribbons. I used playing cards instead of regular card board or card stock because they were cheap and they would hold up to constant use. If I had to do it all again I would use cuter playing cards :)

Bought from the Dollar Store

Cut the playing card in half.

Bend that cut piece in half and set aside.

Cut your ribbon into 4 in long strips with Pinking Shears or Straight Scissors

Optional: Seal the cut ends of your ribbon by carefully passing the edges over the flame of a candle. Be careful not to catch your ribbon on fire or melt it to oblivion!

Fit one end of the ribbon into the folded card piece and secure the ribbon with a staple.

Punch a hole in the card so you can put it on the Binder Ring.

Here is how I attached different widths of ribbon.

Now when you're working on a project all you have to do it pull out your swatches to find just the right ribbon for your project.