Celebrate Jane Austen’s birthday with me! I thought I’d share something out of the archives today: an old-fashioned craft, similar to something she herself might have done to trim her own garments or accessories–Ribbon Roses.

Recently had the pleasure of doing these at a bridal shower we hosted for my future daughter-in-law. I got to teach  the ladies how to fold the roses and we spent a lovely afternoon chatting and crafting our roses. Even better, they looked just lovely with my great-grandmother’s Fostoria crystal that we brought out for the occasion. 

As I was working up the sample bouquet you see in the picture, my eldest son, the one getting married, wandered up and asked if he could help.  I suddenly had the thought of being able to share them with you as well!  So he grabbed the camera and took a little video of the process.

It was a little bit impromptu, so it is a little rough, but I hope you enjoy them and give them a try yourself!

While Jane Austen certainly would not have had wired ribbon or hot glue to make roses with, I can easily imagine her sitting down with her sister or her nieces to make a set of roses for a bonnet, a spencer, or perhaps to trim the hem of a fancy gown. Maybe she pictured some of her characters making and using these. Lydia and Kitty Bennet trimmed bonnets themselves. Elinor might have encouraged Marianne to do something like these to make their limited budgets go farther. Mrs Goddard might even have taught her students to fold roses as part of their sewing lessons.

I’d love to hear how you might use these pretties in one of your own projects. Tell me about them in the comments! 

How to Make Ribbon Roses