Ribbon Roses and Topiary

I love making roses out of ribbon. I’ve made a video of the process, and a video on how to make a ribbon rose topiary. Each time I make these roses, I vary the method a bit, mainly in the type of tape I use. My latest way to make these roses is with Scotch double-sided tape.

1.  First, cut a length of ribbon that’s about 30″. Then apply the double-sided tape to the bottom edge of the ribbon so that half the tape is sitting on the tape and half is off the tape.

2. I used a wood skewer for the stem of the flower. You can also use wire. Start at one end of the ribbon, press the stem down onto the tape, and start rolling tightly. At first, you’ll want to create a tight roll, just as the petals on real roses are clustered tightly in the center.

3. As you go around, pinch the bottom of the flower where the double stick tape is, so everything holds securely. Then gradually make your “petals” looser. You can do this by overlapping the ribbon and sticking it onto itself. The overlapping creates the pretty folds in the flower as well.

4. Keep wrapping the ribbon around the stem until you’re done. Again, pinch the bottom where the double stick tape is, so everything is secure. 

5. If you look at the underside of the rose, there is exposed tape. If you are making a topiary, you won’t see the bottoms of the roses so it won’t matter. But if you are displaying the roses as is, you will want to cover the bottoms.

6. All you have to do is cut a small round piece of felt that would cover the exposed area, poke a hole in it, and slide the felt piece onto the bottom of the rose. The double-sided tape will adhere to the felt, and now the rose has sepals.

7. To make the ribbon rose topiary, insert the roses into a small foam ball. The foam ball I used was about 3″ in diameter. You’ll need about 25 ribbon roses to cover the ball. The foam ball seems really small, but after you cover it with roses, you get a nice-sized topiary.

When the topiary is finished, you can hang the floral ball, insert a dowel into it to make a standing topiary, and set it on a candle holder or small container. You can even add a bouquet handle to make a bouquet that will last forever.