Ribbons weave poetry into fashion

When it comes to the pure poetry of embellishment, ribbon is it. Ribbon adds a jaunty, festive note to gift packages. It ties up little girls’ hair and makes them feel pretty. It weaves through the verses of “Scarborough Fair” and even has its own song, “Scarlet Ribbons.” English poet Alfred Noyes found metaphor in ribbon when he wrote, “The road was a ribbon of moonlight upon the purple moor,” in his poem, “The Highwayman.”

Ribbon comes in a multitude of guises – single-face satin, double-face satin, velvet, grosgrain, jacquard – in narrow, medium and wide widths, with picot edges, plain edges or wired edges.

Ribbon encompasses every hue recognized by the human eye and may glitter with gold and silver threads.

We tie yellow ribbons around trees to let loved ones, deployed soldiers in particular, know that we appreciate their efforts and are waiting for them to come home.

A hundred years ago, men and women wore yellow ribbons to identify themselves as advocates for woman suffrage.

During the French Revolution, fashionable ladies wore narrow red velvet ribbons around their pretty necks to indicate that they had lost a family member to the sharp edge of the guillotine.

In Queen Victoria’s day, black ribbons were worn as armbands to indicate the death of a loved one.

In centuries past, like many good things, ribbon was first the exclusive property of those who could afford to buy it. Men and women wore ribbon rosettes on shoes or at the knees of breeches. They used ribbon as shoelaces and bonnet strings, wore it ruched upon the front of a shirt, or as a trim on a silk brocade waistcoat suitable for wear at the French court of Louis XIV.

Today, we wear pink ribbons to show that we are warriors in the quest to find a cure for breast cancer.

If you are lucky enough to own an antique crazy-quilt square and want to display it, edge it with wide black velvet ribbon before placing it in a picture frame. Make sure to hang it out of direct light to prevent fading.

If you want a Bohemian look for clothing, still a component of the trendy and quirky world of fashion, ribbon trim is a hallmark of that look. Stitch rows of ribbon in bright colors along jeans seams, around the edges of pants legs or along the edges of pockets to get that folky fashion mood.

Embellish tank tops and T-shirts with wide bands of ribbon threaded with gold or silver, or add beaded fringe dangling from a satin ribbon heading, for a bit of glitzy glamour.

Sew lengths of ribbon, of pale pastel colors in random patterns, to a square of white satin and make it into a pillow.

Make ribbon bookmarks by cutting wide grosgrain ribbon to the desired length and snip a “V” into each end. Or hem the ends and devise a tassel from embroidery floss and beads. Sew it to one end of the bookmark.

Use 2-inch wide ribbon to fashion wedding or party favors. Cut a 6-inch length of ribbon, fold it in half, hot glue or stitch the edges together, fill it with potpourri or chocolate kisses and tie it near the top with a narrow ribbon.

Use wide ribbon with a wire edge for making napkin rings. Cut a 6-inch length of ribbon, form it into a circle, hot glue it together and embellish with ribbon rosettes, pretty buttons, small seashells or beach glass.

And for a touch of whimsy, especially if you are beyond the age when such frivolity is expected, tie short red ribbons in your hair.

Snippets

. A Fiber Arts Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. The event will include live demonstrations and hands-on activities with felt, paper making and tie-dying. The cost to attend the festival is $2, museum members free. Call the museum at 596-6457 to learn more about the festival.

Ardeana Hamlin welcomes suggestions. Call 990-8153, or e-mail ahamlin@bangordailynews.net.