Shhh... don't tell anyone I told you!

This is totally between you and me and anyone else that stumbles upon my blog while searching for police cakes (really, why do they get sent here???). I have a little secret that I'm spilling to help all of man and woman kind with all your ribbon needs. Well not all your ribbon needs but the biggest problem I see all the time with people who use ribbon in sewing. You go to all the trouble sewing up something cute and add your ribbon and then it frays after the first wash. Not good people, not good at all.

I couldn't for the life of me find out how those boutique hair bow types heat sealed their ribbon without it looking like you used it for your latest weenie roast. You can use Fray Check but after a few washes it turns a milky white where it's been applied and that doesn't look very good either. I'm not sure where I found this tip but I know it's one that is highly guarded and I'm likely to get tared and feathered for sharing. Here goes-

This little baby right here. Yes, a wood burning tool. I'm sure any wood burner will do. All you have to do is heat it up and use the standard or razor blade tip and it cuts and cauterizes (for lack of a better term) at the same time. No need to trim your ribbon first, just use it to cut. 2 seconds and it's sealed forever and looks great! It takes some practice and I wouldn't recommend holding your head over it while you melt the ribbon -unless you're into that-. That's how I seal all my projects including this little one right here. See- no lighter edges that look and smell like a burned frisbee. You can't even tell it's sealed but I've washed a million things for the girls I've done this way and they still look like the first day I made them. Minus the jelly stains and wash fading that is.



Another quick shameless plug, I listed my Michael Miller bootie contest booties in my shop today. I had made Kennedy a preemie pair and being the sentimental sap that I am I decided to keep those instead. She never got to wear these and now that she's bigger I'm going to make her another really cute pair.

I'm off to go hide before the BHBSS (the Boutique HairBow Secret Service) comes and hangs me by my toenails or worse- takes my chocolate!!!

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