The tote is done!

A While ago my Mother In law and I went to one of our favorite quilt stores. While we were there I found this cute tote pattern and thought it would be perfect for my trip to Dallas this summer. I fell in love with it. The fabric that came with the kit is yellow and while it's not my favorite, I really like it. It is a fast and easy project.

The project called for a ruffles trim. So I bought some ribbon and made the trim. I remembered to take step by step photos to share so you can see how it's done and make your own. This technique is great for making ribbon flowers too! (photos at the end of this post)

Fold right edge under and pin.

Then Fold the ribbon over to the right side overlapping the previous fold.

This is where you determine how big you want your pleats. While holding the ribbon with the previous fold at point where it meets the edge of the ribbon underneath, Fold the ribbon back toward the left making sure to keep the top and bottom edges straight. pin in place.

This is how it should look after  repeating the previous steps a few times.

 Once you have your determined the length of pleats that you want. Take your strip to the sewing machine and sew along the top edge. I used a zipper foot so that I could see the very edge. I know that it's not the proper foot to use but it's what I prefer.

Here is the final result. Perfectly pleated ribbon.

You know those cute pillows that you see in the store that look like a big flower...... This is how they make it. They pleat the ribbon then roll it in a circular pattern over the fabric tacking it down by stitching as you go. The results are beautiful. Here are a few photos of a ribbon that I have rolled!

I hope you enjoyed this post.

Have a Fantastic Day!!