Getting Started In Rosette Making

Hello fellow makers! Welcome to our inaugural blog post! The purpose of the blog is to help fellow makers, such as yourself, with the trails and tribulations of rosette making as you embark on this wonderful hobby or possible profession.  The more we grow our business and are around on social media, the more we get asked the same questions about starting out and finding supplies. As appropriate for the first blog, I'm going to write a little bit about getting started in rosette making as a hobby. It can be overwhelming at first. Where do you even start?! Everyone starts a little differently and with varying amounts of commitment. Rosette making seems easy to some and daunting to others and in some ways both thoughts are correct. There is no master secret to rosette making, but it does still take practice and a good eye for detail. I can assure you no one started out making a masterpiece off the bat. If you feel this is something that interests you, I encourage you to start out small and grow as you decide if this hobby is right for you. The business side of the craft can be quite an expensive investment, so it is important to be sure this is something you want to do before making the investment.

The cost barrier of getting equipment for rosette making keeps many people from getting into the hobby, but I'm here to tell you, you can start out low cost and grow as your need grows. Don't let anyone tell you that you have to fork out thousands to get into it as a hobby! There are certain things you have to get when starting out, and other things that are optional or have work arounds. 

Must Have Supplies
These are supplies you simply cannot make a rosette without. You'll have to invest in these items if you don't already have them.

Base Ribbon
I know... It's obvious you have to have ribbon, how else would you make rosettes? I want to use this section, though, to talk about the type of ribbon and where to get it. Rosettes are best made with what is called Acetate Ribbon. This is a specially coated satin ribbon that is stiffer than traditional satin ribbon, and thus folds easier and sharper than the general satin ribbon you can buy at craft stores. Acetate ribbon needs to be the foundation of your rosette if you want to avoid frustrations. You can use any type of ribbon for "accent" ribbons over your Acetate base pieces. Acetate ribbon is generally available through large suppliers like Denali and Hubschercorp. These distributors require a business license for redistribution to order from them and you must order very large quantities. When starting out, it is best to order from a reseller like us here at Winsome, or Cynsational or Vivid Award Studios. You can order smaller amounts or kits while you test if this hobby is right for you instead of 200 yard rolls per color.

Accent Ribbon
I get asked a lot where I get all my cool accent ribbons. The honest answer is everywhere. I shop at craft stores, Amazon, Craft stores online, Temu, and antique/consignment stores for accent ribbon. We also have the ability to sublimate our own ribbons. When you're starting out the easiest places to acquire accent ribbons will be your local craft stores, Walmart, and Amazon. Start there and branch out to the more expensive stuff once you see if the hobby is for you!

Printed Ribbon
This is one of the more challenging and expensive parts of starting out in the hobby. You have to have printed ribbon for your rosette! Ribbon printers cost around a grand with foil press machines costing even more. Luckily, before you spend that grand on a ribbon printer, if you have a Cricut or Silhouette, you can try Heat Transfer Vinyl instead first. It will be a lot more tedious than ribbon printing and I do not recommend it for a 50 rosette order like I did my first order, but it will be a lot cheaper for your first few ribbons while you see if the hobby is for you! The other option when you're just starting out if you do not have a Cricut or Silhouette is to buy an already printed streamer from a ribbon company such as us here at Winsome, or Cynsational or Vivid Award Studios. 

** Be warned that most ribbon printers like The Ribbon Print Company, while great printers, do not print well or at all on acetate ribbon, but require what is called florist ribbon to print well on. Do not expect to be able to print on Galaxy Ribbon with a ribbon printer. You can try washing it lightly and rubbing the print surface with a cloth, but it only works sometimes! I wish someone had told me this first, so I want to be sure to share it with you all! You can work around this by using florist ribbon to print and laying it overtop of a Galaxy ribbon. Just be sure if you're selling it to add the extra ribbon into your pricing.  
 
Center Button
This is another semi-expensive item starting out. A quality Button cutter and machine is 400-800 dollars, but worth every penny if you plan to use it in a business setting as they hold up to the constant stream of buttons you'll be making! For your first couple of rosettes, though, if you don't have the ability to take a button for an existing ribbon, I'd recommend getting buttons through a maker such as us here at Winsome, or Cynsational or Vivid Award Studios or even etsy or a button company. They are cheap enough and you can see if you like the hobby before investing in the equipment needed. 

** Do NOT purchase a cheap plastic button maker off Amazon. I thought I'd take the cheap way and order one... it came broken... then the other one I got broke on the first button. The third one lasted about 20 buttons and broke. You'll see warnings all over button maker FB groups to stay away and save your $80-$100 to invest in a good button machine like one from American Button Machines. It is worth the investment if you're planning to make a lot of buttons, please trust me on this! I've been there and made that mistake!

Backing
You'll need something for backing for your rosettes. This serves as both a base to glue your pieces on and then a nice looking back to finish the rosette off. If you're handy and can cut a perfect circle, you can just grab an old cardboard box and cut out a few circles to get started. They aren't super fancy, but they'll work! I like using cake boards in our business as they are sturdy and have a great finish. We have the board we use available for individual sale on our website if you're looking for something nice or like me... can't cut a decent looking circle to save your life. 

Hanger
This is sort of optional, but I feel it is required. You need something attached to your rosette to hang it up. This can be anything you like from a string to a wall mount bracket or a strong command strip. I find the best tool for the job, though are bridle hooks. They fit well into the design, are adjustable in shape and how far they are from the rosette and have holes if you want to hang it on a hook or nail. Unfortunately, you can normally only get these in super large quantities from distributors, but we have them available in various amounts on our website if you're just wanting a few.

Scissors
Invest in a decent pair of sharp scissors for cutting your ribbon. Ribbon frays and a dull pair of scissors will destroy ribbon! Scissors made for cutting fabric are best like professional tailor's scissors. I strongly suggest keeping your fabric scissors for cutting fabric only! Have a secondary cheaper pair for cutting plastic or sticky stuff. Never use sticky scissors on ribbon! This pair of scissors off Amazon has served me well, but look for a pair that YOU like. That is the best pair for the job!

Stapler
This is again a personal preference item and will depend on what you like best. Getting started you can just use whatever regular stapler you have in your house. I bought a hand held Bostitch stapler from Walmart for $9 when I first started and it's still my go to stapler even after trying out more heavy duty fancy staplers.  I just like the way it fits in my hand and that it is light. 

Hot Glue Gun and Glue
Ah, the catalyst that holds it all together! You'll need some form of hot glue gun and hot glue sticks for your first rosettes. If you have some in the house, use what you have. If you're looking for a good starter recommendation, we've been using the Surebonder High Temp Cordless Hot Glue Gun from the start and it hasn't let us down yet! It takes full size glue sticks. If you're looking for one with a little finer tip there is also a mini one with a fine tip that has worked well for us so far.

Optional Starter Items
These are items that you don't really -need- when starting out, but are helpful if you'd like to get them.

Sewing Guide
There are several great sewing guides out there. You can buy templates to print out on paper to use when starting out such as the one available on our supplies page, or there are nice ones from U.S. Art Supply that come in an 8X8, 13X13, or 18X18.   

Clips
If you're starting out working with pleated ribbon, I definitely recommend clips to hold the pleating together while waiting on it to dry. You can get a whole container of them off Amazon. 

Weights
Weights help a lot when setting the tails of the rosette. There are many variations of weights and everyone likes different things. I like a meat pounder as it give good weight and is solid. 

Tiny Scissors
A pair of fine scissors helps if you need to get in there a snip off a little string. I got a pair with something else I purchased and it's been one of my most used tools!

A Measuring Tape or Stick
We have both a fabric measuring tape and a yard stick. These are helpful for measuring out tails, especially the soft tape measure as we can tape it to the table. 

Support
While I do offer classes and seminars for in depth group or one on one information and assistance, just having support from fellow makers can help as well. We have a new Facebook group for rosette makers and hobbyists called Rosette Makers and Hobbyists, be sure to join the group for support from fellow rosette makers! It is my goal to build a community around rosette making and offer new makers the support that used to be so hard to find!