Gimme an L! Gimme an A! Gimme an N! I won’t take the time to spell out Lanae Hale completely. But she does deserve a shout-out for this Cheerleader Pony-Os Project from her must-bookmark website TheRibbonRetreat.com. I absolutely LOVE looking at rolls and rolls of ribbon. It’s the same feeling I get opening a fresh box of crayons or a new jumbo pack of markers. So many colors and ideas just waiting to happen.
If you’ve ever shopped for cheerleading accessories, or really any kind of fancy hair accessories, you know it can be difficult to find the exact shade and color combination to match the rest of the outfit. And if you have to order something custom-made, it can get pretty expensive, pretty fast. That’s why we were so excited to discover The Ribbon Retreat.
Of course, ribbons are for much more than just decorating pony tails. They are also quick and easy solutions for all kinds of projects that call for ties or straps, or anywhere a unique embellishment is needed. A quick trip through this well-organized site reveals printed ribbons, grosgrain (from tiny 1/8″ to wide 3″), taffeta, tulle, metallics, velvet, and on and on. The pricing is very reasonable, especially for the amount of ribbon you get. There are also great convenience packs, accessories and tools. And, they’ve recently started carrying fabric at The Ribbon Retreat + Fabric.
With Lanae’s detailed instructions and wonderful selection, we were able to make eight custom Pony-Os for less than $20. It was enough to outfit the entire cheerleading squad at one of our local high schools – for only a little more than it would have cost to buy just one or two pre-made Pony-Os. And the girls loved them. Go RAMS!
All the supplies we used are currently available at The Ribbon Retreat. We were impressed with the huge variety of type and color, as well as the copious amount of information. The Free Projects section is a great resource for learning how to make several different kinds of hair ribbons.
A big Sew4Home thanks to Lanae and her staff for helping us out with this and other projects.
The Ribbon Retreat’s free and easy-to-follow instructions for Cheerleader Pony-Os are available here.
You need the following basic tools:
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Lighter or wood-burning tool
- One pack of elastic hair bands
- Hi-temp glue gun
- Hand needle and thread
We used the following ribbon supplies:
- 2¼” Yellow Gold Solid Grosgrain
- 1½” Cranberry Solid Grosgrain
- 7/8″ Cranberry/White Polka Dots
- 7/8″ Yellow Gold/Red Bi-Stripes
- 5/8″ Yellow Gold Solid Grosgrain
- 5/8″ Cranberry Solid Grosgrain
- 8 Star Ribbon Slides