Some people take great care of their old horse show ribbons and hang them immediately upon returning home in a delightful arrangement. Some people *cough* me *cough* leave their ribbons in a box in their childhood bedroom while they go to college, start a career, go back to school, start a new career, get married and move around to 3 states before they finally get a wall of their own to hang them on. When those ribbons came out of the box, they were crinkly and wrinkly and rather unattractive. Here's how to make them smooth again.
Start with a crinkly ribbon. This is the first blue ribbon I ever won. It is from 1999.
Set your iron to the silk setting. You want to use the lowest heat that will still flatten the ribbon. If you go too hot, the ribbons will curl or discolor. Make sure to drain all water out of the iron. Using steam on the ribbon will lead to staining.
Lay your ribbon face down on the ironing board. Start with the center ribbon. Pull the other two sides of the ribbon back. Run your iron of the ribbon, making sure to keep it moving. If it stays still, you'll make a new wrinkle at the end of the iron.
Fold the second ribbon down, and iron it in the same way you did the first one. Then do the third ribbon the same way. Get as close to the base as you can.
If there is still a crease at the bottom of the rosette, turn the ribbon over. Place the rosette on the side of the ironing board and the ribbons on the top. Bend the rosette back. Now you can run the iron to the base of the rosette.
And here is the side by side. I promise you, the end result is much more dramatic in person. Simple, easy, and it looks much better on the wall.
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