Blessing From Hooked on Stamping: Ribbon Knots

I got this tutorial from Hooked on Stamps. I wanted to know the correct way of doing this and I'm so grateful! Hope this helps you too!

Tutorial: Tying Ribbon Knots

Ribbon Knots are a fast, simple and easy way to add some pizzazz to a card or scrapbook layout. One of the most frequently asked questions I hear is, “How do you make that knot look so pretty?” Let’s take a look and see…

Tip: Working with the ribbon attached to the spool allows you to adjust the length of the ribbon as needed and then cut it when you’re done. This will save you ribbon in the long run!
Take the ribbon and wrap it around your finger. When you bring the ribbon to the front, cross it up and to the left making an “x” at the front.

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Gently move the ribbon forward on your finger, leaving the circle of ribbon that it formed intact. Using your thumb, push the ribbon tail through that circle. Notice how I’ve folded the ribbon as it’s gone into the circle. This will give you a nice clean edge later on.

Now, you can grab the tail that’s free on the right side and gently pull, tightening the knot. As you pull the tail, you can guide the knot to where you want it, positioning it before you tighten the knot fully.

Here’s the finished ribbon knot.

Let’s see what the ribbon knot looks like from side. You can see that the front of the knot (at the bottom of the photo) is completely flat. The back of the knot has some dimension to it. I try to make this as flat as possible by not pulling too tightly on the knot.

Here’s what the back of the ribbon knot looks like.

I love grosgrain ribbon. It has a very distinct look. It’s a woven ribbon which can at times present a challenge, in that the ends of the ribbon tend to fray. With grosgrain ribbon, if you end up with a tiny hanging thread, and it gets pulled, your ribbon can start unraveling! Yikes! We wouldn’t want that to happen.

To prevent grosgrain ribbon from fraying, apply a tiny drop of Liquid Glass to the backside of the ribbon. Spread the Liquid Glass across the end. Allow the Liquid Glass to dry completely. Trim off any hanging threads or cut through the center of where the Liquid Glass was applied to have a completely sealed end.

Now to adhere the ribbon to the card! Liquid Glass yet again. I put on a liberal amount of Liquid Glass, then positioned the ribbon and press it down firmly to flatten out the backside of the knot and get the Liquid Glass up into the knot. I hold it in position for a minute or so.
Tip: You can place a book or acrylic block on top of the ribbon to hold it firmly in place while it dries completely.

And….voila….the finished card.