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Faux Iris Ribbons 

By Ken Pesho
Rubber Roadsters
Advanced Stamping Team Designer  

As great as Iris folding is with papers, you DO have to fold them. And there are limits to the colors available and the cost can sometimes be outrageous.  As a result, I developed this technique since Iris non-folding is much easier and far less expensive because it’s done with ribbon!

The MOST important thing to remember is that you must use CLEAR SCOTCH TAPE. I tried Magic tape and every cheap tape from the 99 cent stores or anywhere I could find tape and it just wouldn’t hold.  When you finish your pattern, you need to cover the entire back of the iris with clear packing tape – nothing more than wide, 2 ½” to 3” scotch tape. This will ensure the tape does not come off the ribbon – especially the metallic ribbons. With foam mounting tape, go around the perimeter of the card. Cut the strips of mounting tape in half lengthwise and literally go all the way around the card.   When you put it on your cardstock, the entire Iris fold lays nice and flat.  Should you desire to put a piece of gloss cardstock or anything else in the middle of the iris design, do it BEFORE you put the packing tape on.  Occasionally, I use a punch as an accent and simply tape a piece of contrasting ribbon under the full length of the punched area (as on the Pear Iris).

On the Greek Urn and pear designs, I also used metallic tape in the 1/8” size, which is the tape you use for curling ribbon.  This was placed at a partial angle before I put the regular ribbon onto the pattern. Using an Exacto knife, I, also, cut little notches in the handles, top of the urn, and the base of the urn and used the same metallic tape to highlight those areas.

You will need an Iris Folding instruction/pattern booklet that can be ordered and purchased at almost any stamp store. Or you try can online. There are a number of books and a lot of them have some duplicates in them from book to book.

Use ribbons of your choice from anywhere. Wal-Mart is 88¢ a roll, Jo~Ann’s and Michaels on sale anywhere from 99¢ up when on sale, etc. size is 3/8”. The curling ribbon usually comes with 2 or 3 colors on a roll and varies from 99¢ up in cost per spool. Some patterns take 3 different colors, as with the Christmas Tree pattern, but most take 4 different colors. Just like paper where you usually get 3 – 6” strips of each color paper, you will use no more than 18” of ribbon per color (and most of the time much less – just cut it off the spool as you need it).

Supplies:

•  Iris Folding book by ‘Craft Special’/ Forte Publishers
•  Ribbons, your choices
•  Scotch CLEAR tape (3M)
•  Scotch Clear Packing Tape (3M)
•  Foam Mounting tape (3M)
•  Punch of your choice (if desired).
•  Cardstock 4 ½” x 5 ¾” for iris fold
•  Cardstock 7” x 10” for 5” x 7” card
•  Scissors for cutting pattern – preferably CUTTER BEES
•  Scissors for cutting ribbon
•  Piece of Acetate (if you don’t have any just get some clear plastic from anything. Example: the inserts used in a binder that usually come with a piece of black CS in-between that you can later use)
•  EXTRA FINE POINT Sharpie marker (Sanford)
•  Computer with scanner or go anywhere there is a copy machine and take your cardstock with you to print the image onto.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  After purchasing the IRIS FOLDING book, using the plastic or acetate and extra fine point Sharpie pen, trace the pattern from the book. You can, also, purchase heavy plastic patterns for a lot of the images from the same company that prints the book.  However, the funny thing is that the patterns don’t match the drawings very well.

2.  Take the booklet and the traced image and scan it or take it to a copy machine somewhere and – copy the pattern (has all the numbers on it). Then, have your cardstock put into the printer and copy the plastic or acetate onto the cardstock.

3.  Cut out the pattern from the cardstock. Please note that most people try to cut the image from the top of the card. Using Cutter Bees on the top of the card, poke into the middle of the image and cut angled lines to the edge of the image. Cutter Bees allow you to stop right at the line; you do not have to over cut as with most scissors. Now, holding the card with the image still towards you, cut the image from the bottom. DO NOT TRY TO CUT RIGHT ON THE LINE as you start cutting. Start about an eighth of an inch in and then angle in toward the lines. Do this at each point that you angled cut to the line. Then, when it’s all cut out, turn the card over (you won’t see the lines) and cut the little angled piece off.  Just nip it to be in line with the image.

4.  Lay your cutout cardstock face down.  This will be the side you did not have the tracing on.  Secure it with removable tape of any kind over the pattern.

5.  Place the spools of ribbon above the cardstock determining which order you want to use ribbon #1, 2, 3, and/or 4. By having them in order you’ll remember the sequence because #1 is also #5, 2 is 6, 3 is 7 &/or 4 is 8 and the sequence continues until you use up the numbers.

6.  Cut strips of ribbon as needed. If you find a ‘stacking’ happening as you progress through the numbers, cut some pieces longer as you progress through the numbers, and it will thin out. Tape both ends of the ribbon to the back of the cardstock.

7.  After completing the final number, peel off the removable tape at the top and turn over your creation. Now if you can remove the smile from your face you can determine if you want to use a punch for accent with tape behind it or just put a piece of accent ribbon or paper of any kind in the ‘diamond’ in the middle.

8.  Cover the entire back of the cardstock with the clear packing tape.

9.  Cut your mounting tape in half lengthwise and attach on top of the packing tape on the entire perimeter.  Attach this to your 5” x 7” card.

Finis!

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