Emma Rabbit's DIY Guide to May Day Adornments
These days in Hazel Village, spring flowers are blossoming practically everywhere you look. All the animals appreciate the big spring blooming, but for Emma Rabbit it means one thing in particular: MAY DAY is almost here!
May Day is Emma Rabbit’s favorite holiday. (If you ask her, she will tell you there is no competition.) Every Wednesday afternoon at Village Dancing Practice, Emma teaches special May Day dances to the other animals. And perhaps most importantly, she collects Maypole ribbons all year round.
With May Day just around the corner, Emma has been carefully organizing her ribbon stash and planning what she and all her friends will wear. “The proper thing to do is adorn yourself in ribbons, much like a Maypole,” Emma says. “Not only are ribbons incredibly pretty and fluttery and nice, they are also very versatile.”
We thought you might perhaps be interested in Emma’s May Day expertise, so we have compiled some of her best ribbon accessorizing recommendations. If you have any ribbons stashed somewhere in your house, this is the perfect time to trot them out. If not, we recommend paying a visit to your local craft supply store to do some foraging!
Let's begin with Emma's criss-crossed ankle ribbons. Take a long piece of narrow ribbon and find the center point. Hold the center of the ribbon on the front of your doll's leg, then wrap each end around the leg from front to back. This will make a criss-cross on the back of the leg.
Now criss-cross the ribbons on the front of the leg and wrap them around again. Depending on the length of your ribbon you can make as many criss-crosses as you would like. When you reach your doll's ankle, loop the ribbon ends around it and tie a bow on the side.
If an animal wishes to add a splash of individuality to any dress, Emma recommends selecting a ribbon they especially like and wearing it as a sash. It's important to tie a big bow in the back, and always to trim the ends at an angle so they look tidy and won't fray.
A good hat is important to keep the sun out of your eyes, but for a holiday as auspicious as May Day, Emma thinks her everyday straw hat is a bit too plain. She selected a pretty spring green ribbon, threaded it through the ear holes, and tied it under her chin to give the hat a boost of elegance. "You could also braid three ribbons to make a fresh hatband," Emma suggests.
To make a May Day wand, you'll need a stick – Emma used a willow twig – and an assortment of fluttery ribbons. Tie each ribbon around one end of the stick, leaving a bit of a tail on each knot so that jaunty bits of ribbon sticks upwards for flair.
You may find your doll needs some help holding their wand. If so, you can tie a ribbon around the lower part of the stick and then tie it in a bow around your doll's wrist.
This wand makes a magnificent prop for May Day dances!
For Juliette Rabbit, Emma picked a cornflower-blue organza ribbon sash and matching ear bows. "This color reminds me of my china painting!" Juliette said happily.
For animals who like to look dapper when the occasion calls for it, such as Arthur Lamb, Emma recommends a big flouncy neck bow. "Choose a ribbon that is soft, not stiff, so that it will drape nicely," she advises.
If your chosen ribbon is a little too wide for the proportions of your animal's neck, like this red one, you can fold it in half.
For a bow like this, it's nice to snip an upside down V shape into the ends of the ribbon - both to prevent fraying and for decoration.
Emma decided that Ella Toad's special May Day accessory should be a fancy neck ruff. Ella was quite excited about this plan, and listened closely as Emma showed her how to make it.
Emma chose a narrow-ish coral ribbon, because she liked its color and its satin-y sheen. However, she would actually recommend using a wider ribbon if you have one handy. The wider the ribbon is, the further your ruff will stick out.
We used about 2 yards of ribbon for this project: 54 inches for the ruff itself, and 18 inches for the band. Keep in mind there are many different ways to make a neck ruff – this is only one method!
Using a ruler and a sharpened pencil, mark a small dot at every half inch point along one edge of your 54" ribbon. These pencil dots will be your guide for folding the ribbon to create ruffles.
Starting with the SECOND dot from the end, fold your ribbon and poke your needle through the upper corner of the fold. The needle should be going through the pencil dot. Sew through this corner.
Repeat this step, folding the ribbon and sewing through EVERY OTHER dot on the corner of the fold. You will be creating a stack of ruffles, which are only secured at one edge for now.
Once you have a lot of ruffles they can start to get a little unwieldy, and you might find it easier to sew along the length of ribbon without folding it. Just make sure you are sewing 1 stitch up and back down through every other dot, like a very loose running stitch.
When you have sewed to the last dot, pull your thread gradually and guide the ribbon to create the folds:
Don't cut or tie off your thread – leave a long tail instead. Then thread your needle with a new length of thread and go back to the starting end of the ruff to begin sewing along the other side. Your needle should now be sewing through the pencil dots that you didn't hit before, securing the opposite corner of each fold.
It should look like this:
Pull both threads and adjust your ruffles to make sure they are evenly spaced and not too loose or wonky. Then tie off and cut both threads. Stitch to secure the ends of the ribbon on either side of the ruff, hiding the raw edges if you can.
For the band, you will need a ribbon that is about half an inch wide. You can also use a wider ribbon and fold it. The ribbon that we used for the ruff was about the right width, so we just used it for the band as well.
Cut a long piece of ribbon (ours was 18") and align it so the middle sits inside the ruff. Using a whip stitch, sew along the top and then the bottom edge of the ruff to attach the ribbon.
As always, snip the ends of the ribbon at an angle. Then your ruff is done!
"This ruff is sublime!" Ella exclaimed. "I think it is the perfect accessory for the May Day Frog Ball tournament I've been planning."
"An excellent idea!" replied Emma approvingly. "Although if you're planning to wear this ruff while hurdling, I would recommend turning it around." She showed Ella how the ruff could be turned around so the bow sits under the chin instead. "A much better option for freedom of motion. And still quite stylish worn this way, if I do say so myself. It just goes to show that ribbons are appropriate for every occasion!"
For a brief overview of how Frog Ball is played, see our Lore FAQ Part Two blog post.
That's all, friends! We hope you have enjoyed Emma Rabbit's DIY Guide to May Day Adornments, and that it inspires you in dressing up your Villagers for May Day. HUZZAH FOR RIBBONS! 🎀🌿
Did you make this craft at home? Send us a photo or tag us on social media @hazelvillage! Questions? Email us at hello@hazelvillage.com.
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