There was a time when I was in search of the perfect way to store ribbon. And, I went through quite a few methods before landing on what seems to be the best way for me. Some of those methods included…
1. Threading the spools onto long dowels (I still have some ribbon stored this way but that is primarily for gift wrapping purposes). My issue with this method is the fact that everytime I pull a ribbon, all of the others also unwind, and replacing an empty spool is quite cumbersome. Too messy!
2. Storing the ribbon inside of pull boxes with just the end of the ribbon sticking out of each hole. This is a cute “hide the mess” technique. However, I like to see just how much ribbon I have left before beginning a project. With just the end sticking out, I would sometimes find that I only had 3 inches (when I needed 6) left of a particular ribbon.
3. Storing the ribbon on a binder ring, by just punching a whole into one end of the ribbon and threading it onto the ring. You end up with a very pretty ring of ribbons, with the benefit of straight wrinkle free ribbons. I really like this technique, but it just wasn’t “neat” enough for me, and also some of the satin ribbons did not stay on the ring, they would fray and fall off.
So, this is where I have arrived. I’ve taken thick chipboard sheets and cut them down to a size that would fit into a photo storage box. I then wrapped my ribbons around the board securing each one with a small push pin. Each card/board is dedicated to a different color scheme or ribbon type. This method allows me to see all of my ribbons at one time. I know what my color and quantity options are at a glance. It also gives me the clean look that I like, and it’s inexpensive. Once I put the cover on the box it can be neatly tucked away onto my bookshelf, and the only thing that gives it away is a simple label marked “Ribbons.” The only down side is the tiny hole that is left from the pin…but I can certainly live with that.
