Clever ribbon storage and display ideas

 I’m often asked about the various ways to store and display ribbons, especially by craft lovers and shops.

 Whether you have lengths or rolls of ribbon, I have put together a collection of handy ideas.

Loose lengths of ribbon can be wrapped around a piece of card and pinned.  This makes a great filing system and can be done in colour order. We find this works really well when we send our ‘ribbon by the metre’ orders out.

If you are selling or storing pre cut lengths of ribbon, these can be rolled and secured with a band and stacked on shelves.  Although initially it looks tidy, I do find at our shows that this method isn’t suitable so I wouldn’t recommend this to busy shops with a heavy footfall.

In our Haberdashery Closet we have stocked these handy gift tags which are made out of card, and rigid enough to withstand ribbon being wrapped around them.

Storing Pom Pom trim can often be a challenge and here we have used a free standing metal kitchen saucepan rack.

You can also use book shelving units to store Pom Pom from the wall.  I picked this one up from a local charity shop for £15 and painted it light grey.

At most of our trade shows we use a dresser on wheels, which is ideal in a retail environment as it is mobile and free standing and can be positioned in alternative places.  The dresser was bought from Ebay for £25, painted cream in Farrow and Ball.  We also added industrial wheels to the base which were from B&Q.  The base of the dresser is also handy for storing additional supplies.

If you are storing rolls of ribbon horizontally, you will need to add some shelf edging to stop the rolls from falling out.  You can buy inexpensive lengths from B&Q and have them cut at no extra charge. I added the wooden edging with wood glue, and painted it the next day with eggshell paint.

If you haven’t got edging on your shelves, it’s better to store them vertically in short piles to avoid them rolling off the shelves. If you sell ribbons, it’s a good idea to fill any gaps with wrapped boxes or other merchandise.

Luckily I have access to these rustic farm crates from my dads farm, and my mum added some wooden dividers. These make wonderful rustic storage and the natural look of the wood shows the colours off really well.

I also store ribbons in small bookcases with edging on the shelves, and these are lightweight and can easily be free standing on a floor or placed on a table top.

When I’m running courses I will store ribbons in these handy wooden crates or trays which I bought from an interiors shop.

Wicker hampers and baskets make a good alternative for ribbon storage.  If you are selling ribbon, it’s a really good idea to have some display boxes with ribbon that you have good quantities of.  I particularly find hampers are useful as they are easy to transport with ribbons inside.

One of my favourite displays is this one.  I picked up an old gilt frame from a junk shop for the bargain price of £5 as it had no glass or back.  My mum took it to her woodwork class and added a sturdy back template that we had designed and cut some wooden poles for the rolls to slot on to.  We currently use this as a display purpose only as it is hassle removing the poles to access the rolls of ribbon.  This however would be a suitable solution if you sell or use ribbons by the metre.

I picked up these rustic wire baskets at the Country Living Fair.  These are lightweight with the rolls easily visible, and our price tags can be tied on to the basket.

Another alternative is to use a simple glass bowl or vase for displaying rolls, which looks very effective. Here I have used a contrasting colour bowl to highlight the nautical ribbons.

For a Spring photo shoot I used some china from Time for Tea with Elena Alice, and had rolls of ribbon displayed on a cake stand.  It is a very effective method introducing height for the display.

At a Christmas Fair we needed so much storage for ribbons that we combined lots of different displays which worked very well.

I am always dreaming up new ways to display ribbons and will keep adding to this post.  If you have any good ideas please also let me know!