The directions below show how to make a pretty silk rosebud. I usually use 4mm (1/4") silk ribbon, but you can use 2mm (1/8") or 7mm (1/2"). However, the 2mm and 7mm ribbons are difficult to work with if you are not experienced. Start with 4mm!
Silk roses and rosebuds can be used on many things. Just take them off the rose making tool and glue them to the hat, parasol, costume or whatever else you wish to decorate.
You can also make silk rosebuds on stems - put 6 or 12 of them together and wrap in a small square of green tissue paper - nice!. The way to do it is:- when you take the rose making tool out of the rosebud, glue a short piece of green florists' wire into the hole. You can make leaves by cutting tiny pieces of green ribbon on an angle and gluing them to the stem.
A rose maker tool is made using a large eyed needle - a large tapestry needle is best. - Cut the needle in half with strong side cutting pliers.
Drill a hole in the very center of one end of a piece of 1/4" dowel about 6" long, then glue the cut end of the needle eye piece into the hole. The drawings below will show you how the finished tool should look. Then, when the glue is thoroughly dry, cut off the top of the needle eye just far enough down that the two resulting prongs do not curve inwards. Use some emery paper to smooth off the cut.
If you do the same thing with the needle point end, you will have a great tool for poking the roses, or anything else, into hard-to-reach places.
The main thing to remember is....DON'T PULL THE RIBBON TIGHT!. You can actually sort of push it into the rosebud as you make each turn. Keep the ribbon going perfectly horizontally, even when you do the twist..... don't let the top edge of the ribbon, either flat or on the twist, go below the top of the rosebud.
If you ever wondered what my hands looked like, well.... here they are! I made the rosebud and John drew what he saw.
If you are left-handed, please reverse these instructions.
These instructions refer to the drawings above.
1. Hold the ribbon as shown. Slip the end of the ribbon through the end of the Rosemaker, leaving a tail about 1/2" long.
2. Begin to wind the ribbon on to the Rosemaker, rolling it along your left index finger. Put a drop of glue on the cut end of the ribbon, as shown, and continue rolling until the glue is inside the roll.
3. Hold the rose with the index finger of the right hand and TWIST the ribbon BACK on itself once.
4. Keeping the twist/top of the ribbon even with the top of the rosebud, roll the back twist into the rosebud, pulling more tightly at the bottom and leaving it loose at the top.
5. Hold the rose with the right index finger again to keep it from coming undone, and twist the ribbon once more, but this time TWIST TO THE FRONT, toward you. Wind as in step 4.
Repeat step 5 twice more trying to space the twists around the rose like petals, and trying not to have the petals come on top of each other. Be sure to keep tight at the bottom and loose at the top. Keep the ribbon horizontal to the Rosemaker as you work!
6. Cut the ribbon about 1/2" from the rose on an angle as shown. Put glue at the base of the ribbon where it comes off the rose.
7. Fold the ribbon tail toward you once and begin to roll. Just before all the tail is rolled in, put a drop of glue on the end of the tail, then roll right into the rosebud.
8. Crease around the bottom of the rosebud with your thumbnail. Slip the rose off the Rosemaker and set aside to dry.
You can make heavier rosebuds by repeating step five a few more times.
If you wish to make ROSES, rather than rosebuds, it is necessary to glue between each petal. Do the first three steps, and then start the fourth step, but you must push the ribbon back toward the rose and make the petal stand out. Then glue at the base of the petal where the ribbon comes off the rose. Repeat as many times as necessary. Use a quick grabbing type of tacky glue!
Have fun! But please remember that these tutorials, photos, instructions and patterns are copyright, and are not to be used as a tutorial of your own. This means that you may not copy or post this tutorial to your own website, or print it out and sell it, or distribute it as your own.
