Leis are traditional items presented to mark a special day, such as a graduation.
Ribbon leis are handmade, woven items that are usually presented in Hawaii as mementos to commemorate a special ceremony, milestone or occasion. They are a perfect way of celebrating an anniversary, birthday or graduation, and because they are made from ribbon, will last for a very long time. They are extremely easy to make and can be easily personalized by weaving in flowers or other items.
Instructions
Make Ribbon Leis for Graduation
1. Select the ribbon. Grosgrain ribbon between 3/8 to 5/8 inches in width should be used to make the leis, and the ribbons should be at least 4 yards long. Choose ribbons of different colors, ideally one darker and one lighter in color.
2. Fold the lei. Hold the darker-colored ribbon in one hand, positioned on one side of your body (such as the left side) and the lighter-colored ribbon in the other hand positioned on the other side. Now fold 6 inches of the lighter ribbon backwards on itself and pinch the ribbon end about 2 inches from the edge to create a small loop. Using the darker ribbon, tie one of its ends tightly around the loop to secure it in place, leaving a minimum of 4 inches of fabric free.
3. Extend the lei. Taking the free length of dark fabric, form a loop and gently shove this through the loop created from the light fabric. Pull the lighter ribbon down to secure the darker ribbon. Try to keep both ribbons flat while creating each loop.
4. Alternate colors. Now take the lighter ribbon and push the free end through the loop created in the darker ribbon. Secure the darker ribbon in position by pulling straight down on the darker ribbon. Keep going until there is only 4 inches of ribbon remaining and stop there.
5. Close the lei. Form the last loop by pushing one ribbon end through a loop, and then tighten the lei by pulling in opposing directions. Finally close the lei by tying the ribbon tails into a knot.
Tags: darker ribbon, lighter ribbon, through loop, hand positioned, Leis Graduation, loop created