Here are the ribbon colors you need to match Gymboree’s February 2010 A Pop of Daisies line.  These ribbon colors will make the perfect M2MG accessories!  Feel free to post any questions or suggestions regarding made to match hair bows, headbands or clips.

Based on that tee, here are the best grosgrain ribbon color matches:

• S Capri Blue
• S Lt Navy
• O Bluebird
• White

These are all very good matches.  Check back for an update in a week or so, when I will confirm whether these colors are true matches for the rest of the line.

There are lots of good ribbon matches for this pretty Gymboree line!  Have fun making M2M accessories and hair bows for Gymboree’s 2010 Fairy Fashionable collection, and be sure to post if you have questions or want to share your designs.

If you’re making accessories to match Janie and Jack’s 2009 Gingerbread Spice line, here are all the matching ribbon colors! Feel free to post links to your creations!

These ribbons are all really good matches… except for French Pink.  Once again, Gymboree is using Kitty Pink and I’m still not satisfied with French Pink as the match.  Let me know if you come up with something better.  I’d also love to see your M2MG Gingerbread Girl hair bows, headbands and more, so post a link if you want to show off your designs!  Also, please note that I have supplied two different matches for Gymboree’s “Olive”: Schiff’s Olive matches the KG cardigan (which is darker), and the velour pieces are closer to Offray’s Moss.  If you want to standardize on one, I’d probably pick S Olive, but if I knew my client wanted bows to match the velour pieces, I’d be sure to use Moss for that.

I’m sure you’ll enjoy designing hair bows and accessories to match Janie and Jack’s 2009 Western Equestrian line.  Just a quick note that Sea Mist, Coral Rose, Rosewine and Millennium Silver are only in the floral print, and are not primary colors in this collection.  Feel free to post any questions below.

Email Colleen (see her website above for contact info, or find her at Twitter: @naturaltoybox) a photo of a product you make, sell or buy (yes, you can participate as a consumer) that cannot survive the CPSIA in its current form and will therefore soon be extinct.  Include a paragraph or two (or a link to it) about the impact of the CPSIA on you, your household or your business.  Every day, Colleen will feature a soon-to-be-extinct product via Twitter, and the group of products and stories will be compiled as a powerfully moving message to lawmakers and the still largely unaware public.

Please take a few minutes to email Colleen your story and product.  I sent her a link to this page.

Here is a photo of one of my formerly best-selling hair bows.  Imagine the testing cost for all the various ribbon types in this one bow design.  Multiply that by hundreds of designs, most available in three to five different sizes, and each of those available attached to a wide variety of clips, barrettes and pony elastics.  The possible iterations are endless.  Customization, luxurious detail, and a continually growing product offering (based on seasonal fashion trends) were all hallmarks of my business, and are all reasons it is impossible for me to comply with CPSIA testing, certification and labeling regulations.

This excerpt from my February 2009 letter to President Obama describes my situation:

I have had to close my hair accessory business because testing is simply not an attainable option for a small producer of custom products. Congress has made it painfully clear how expendable and insignificant they consider my plight through their profound lack of response to my repeated requests for CPSIA reform. But I believe my situation is representative of thousands, and worth a closer look.

If family integrity is revered at all, the entrepreneurial efforts of mothers providing their families with needed income while home caring for their children should be valued and encouraged, not ignored, disparaged, or regulated out of existence. And it goes well beyond moms like me, working from home. My local consignment shop, a 26 year old family business, has stopped selling children’s items – previously the largest portion of their sales. I’m afraid to sell my own kids’ outgrown clothing, which typically funds their next year’s wardrobe. Our school district and local library are biting their nails, waiting, hoping for reasonable reform before the stay of enforcement expires. Even many domestic manufacturers far larger than myself can’t afford to comply with testing requirements and are on the brink of collapse. Personally, I have lost my disposable income, and with it, my ability to stimulate the local economy. Multiply these experiences by tens of thousands across the country.

And while businesses hobble along, crippled by the CPSIA, close up completely, or operate unknowingly in violation (risking significant liability) Congress deflects responsibility and plays politics with the CPSC. The complete unwillingness of Democratic lawmakers to even concede there is more to the story than big business vs. children’s safety is excruciatingly disheartening to me as a liberal, forsaken by my own party.

The complete letter is here.  A week or two ago (about 4 months after sending this letter to the President) I received a card from the White House in response.  It thanked me for communicating with the President, but made clear that no one had read my letter yet, as they are very busy.

Thanks Colleen, for your work to amend the CPSIA.  It will obviously require a continued and tireless effort on all our parts.

I love a true color match, but it isn’t always easy, so here are some tricks to consider:

• First, check both Schiff and Offray brand grosgrain for a close match.  Don’t forget to check out their retired colors, many are still readily available through resellers.  (Tip: If you only stock one brand, at least buy a color chart for the opposite brand, so that you can compare the colors and find the best alternative within your stock).
• Check stripes, prints and dots if there isn’t a perfect solid.
• If you are insistent on grosgrain, consider one that isn’t 100% polyester.  Schiff makes grosgrain ribbon in a Rayon/Cotton blend (their Pattern #705) that is available in different shades.  Keep in mind, though, that these grosgrains have more sheen, and perform differently, too.  For example, you cannot use heat to seal them (they don’t melt like polyester) and they do not hold up as well to water.  They are still a good choice for, say, a bow center.
• Try taffeta, velvet or ruffle ribbon if grosgrains fail you.
• Try other trims to bring in the difficult color – ric-rac, lace, rosettes, buttons, flowers, marabou, heat transfers and other embellishments often do the trick.  (Stick to items intended for apparel, as these will meet flammability regulations.)
• Consider buying another item in the same or similar fabric as your outfit, and using the fabric in your accessory design.

When all else fails:

• Use a few similar shades next to each other, so that visually they produce the desired color effect.
• Layer a sheer ribbon over a grosgrain (appropriate for dressier designs).
• Limit the difficult color to only a small portion of the product if no good match is found (like the center knot on a bow).
• If debating between two close, but not perfect colors, go with the more muted, or softer color.  A color that is close but too bright/harsh will tend to clash or stand out, while a softer color is more likely to blend, and the imperfect match go unnoticed.

See a few examples of these techniques below:

What do you do when you can’t find the perfect match?  I’d love to hear your suggestions!

Want to try your hand at making my popular Posh style hair bow?  My free instructions are now available for download in a new e-book tutorial.  Everything you need to know to make this bow in four different sizes is included!  Just click on the image below to download the .pdf file.  This pretty, classic bow is so easy and versatile, you will be creating your own variations in no time!

While I’ve been making bows forever, this is my first attempt at writing instructions so please let me know what you think.  I plan to write several more and would love to incorporate your suggestions into future efforts, so don’t hold back!

click e-book image to download .pdf

This bow is designed to match the soft, breezy colors of Hanna Andersson's 2009 Whispering Meadows collection. The colors may be sweet, the the size is sassy! This bow is an X-Large (about 6" wide) and looks amazing in a big, high ponytail! Have fun making it, or swapping out ribbons to complement your favorite outfit.

Here’s my pattern:

For the bottom layer, cut 6.5” lengths of each:

• White grosgrain 2.25” wide
• S Banana dot grosgrain 1.5″ wide
• S Pink grosgrain 2.25” wide (cut 2)
• S Lt Blue grosgrain 1.5” wide (cut 2)
• S Celadon/Hot Pink dot grosgrain 7/8″ wide (cut 2)

For the second layer, cut 27” lengths of each:

• S Hot Pink grosgrain 2.25” wide
• S Pink dot grosgrain 7/8” wide

For the third layer, cut 5.5” lengths of each:

• S Banana dot grosgrain 1.5” wide (cut 2)
• S Sea Mist grosgrain 1.5” wide

For the fourth and top layer, cut a 21” length of:

• S Lt Blue grosgrain 7/8″ wide

Tie the center knot with 3/8” Pink/Hot Pink lollipop stripe grosgrain ribbon.

Color help:
S = Schiff brand grosgrain ribbon
O = Offray brand grosgrain ribbon

Need help?  Post a comment and ask away. Need a pattern for a different style bow, or to match another line?  Let me know.

Check back soon for comprehensive lists of ribbon colors matching Gymboree and Hanna Andersson collections – I’m working on adding them now!

For the bottom layer, cut 18” lengths of each:

• Turquoise ruffle ribbon 1.5” wide
• White grosgrain 7/8” wide
• S Blueberry grosgrain 5/8” wide

For the middle layer accents, cut 4” of each:

• O Lemongrass/White stripe grosgrain1.5” wide
• S Apple dot grosgrain 3/8” wide
• S Hot Pink grosgrain 7/8” wide (x2)
• Navy stripe grosgrain 3/8” wide (x2)
• O Navajo Turquoise grosgrain 5/8” wide
• S Apple grosgrain 5/8” wide

For the top layer, cut 17” of each:

• S Hot Pink grosgrain 5/8” wide
• O Pink Swiss dot grosgrain 5/8” wide

Tie the center knot with 3/8” Navajo Turquoise dot grosgrain ribbon.

Color help:
S = Schiff brand grosgrain ribbon
O = Offray brand grosgrain ribbon

Have fun and feel free to email me any questions/comments!

I visited my local consignment shop today, Second Time Around, and was sad to hear that not only are they no longer accepting or selling children’s items (the store was completely cleared of them!) but that the change may mean the end of their 26 yr old family business. She told me she’s had clients in her store literally cry upon hearing the news, not knowing how they are going to clothe their kids. I guess they’ll go to Walmart or Target? Hmmm… is it just me, or is it starting to seem like the big box stores have more to gain from this legislation than consumers?

I’m not giving up. Even if it is too late for me, it’s not too late for sanity. I’ll be sending out a new round of letters today and tomorrow to make sure my pen-pals know they’re responsible for shutting down my business. This batch includes:

• My Congressional Reps
• Waxman and his posse: Rush, Rockefeller and Pryor
• Nancy Nord
• Senator DeMint to ask that he keep pushing his reform bill (I still can’t believe I share any political common ground with Jim DeMint – hey you just never know)
• All 18 members of the board at Consumers Union to let them know I canceled my subscription to Consumer Reports because of their continued support of the obviously flawed CPSIA (Yeah, I know, they’ll be crushed. Interesting to note, however, that among the board members is none other than Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist. He seems like a good guy, and surely he can appreciate the value of the used goods market? Will Craigslist grow as mamas with loads of outgrown banned hazardous childrens clothing fear selling ‘out in the open’ on eBay?)

For the bottom layer, cut 11″ of each:

• Light Pink with Hot Pink dots 1.5” wide grosgrain ribbon
• Hot Pink with Red dots 1.5″ wide grosgrain ribbon

• Red with Hot Pink dots 7/8″ wide grosgrain ribbon
• Red/Pink/White stripe 7/8″ wide grosgrain ribbon (cut 2)

• White with Pink hearts 7/8″ wide grosgrain ribbon

Cut 3″ each:

• S Cranberry 5/8″ wide grosgrain ribbon
• Off-White Fringy Ribbon 7/8″ wide
• S Pink 5/8″ wide grosgrain ribbon (x2)
• S Brown/Pink dot 3/8″ wide grosgrain ribbon (x2)

Cut 5″ each:

• Brown/Cranberry/Pink Argyle Print 3/8″ wide grosgrain ribbon
• O Lt Blue 5/8″ wide grosgrain ribbon
• Off-White Fringy Ribbon 7/8″ wide

I found “Fashion Fringy Ribbon” at Jo-Ann’s. You can use ribbon of your choice for the bow center, or add a snowflake charm as I did. (I was not able to find off-white or ivory snowflakes, so I paint mine to match before adding them!) Check out my medium-sized M2MG Winter Snowflake hair bow design!

S = Schiff brand ribbon color
O= Offray brand ribbon color

• Rotary cutters are basically a razor blade wheel with a handle. You can easily replace the blades when they dull, and they generally last a good while. There are simple and deluxe (ergonomic) models – I have found that they all seem to do the job well, so buy what suits you. If you want to try one out before buying, you might ask a sewing or quilting enthusiast – rotary cutters are a must for quilters!
• I use a 24″ wide self-healing cutting mat in my studio. I recently had to replace a mat that was not self-healing, as ruts formed along my favorite cutting paths and I could no longer get a clean cut. I have been using a smaller self-healing “travel” mat for well over a year now and have not had that problem.

So give it a try – I think you will like it, and post any related thoughts/tips/advice/questions here!