How to make a hexagonal ribbon cockade

I love to read your comments, and will always try to help if someone asks a question. So when a reader got in touch to ask about the hexagonal ribbon cockade which appeared in this post, I dug out some ribbon and tried to remember how it was done.

I must admit, this took a while as it's well over three years since I last made one of these! It's actually very simple to do, but with the right ribbon can look very effective.

You will need a ribbon which is the same on both sides.

First, fold the ribbon like this.

Then fold the upper end of the ribbon (in this case, the left end) under the lower end, like this.

Repeat the step, folding the upper end under the lower end.

Keep repeating this until you have a complete hexagon. I pinned the cockade to a board as I was working, so that I could take photographs, but it is possible to do this just by holding the ribbon in your hand.

Slip-stitch along the join, marked with a green line in the photograph below, and secure the centre with a couple of small stitches.

Then fold the ends of the ribbon under the cockade, snip off the excess, and secure the ends in place. The cockade at the start of the post was made from two hexagons sewn together, the grey one is made from a wider ribbon.

Hope this helps!