Here are all the ribbon colors you need to make beautiful hand-crafted accessories (hair bows, headbands, belts, jewelry, embellished clothing, etc!) to match Janie and Jack’s 2009 Winter Whimsy collection!

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!

Finally a collection that is easy to match!  These ribbon colors are a great match for Janie and Jack’s Beautifully Adorned collection.  Feel free to post links to your accessories made to match this line!

Show off the accessories you have made to match Janie and Jack’s Precious Holiday line by adding a link in the comments section below!

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.

If you have a better ribbon color match for Gymboree’s All About Buttons line, please post a comment with your thoughts – I’d be especially thrilled to have an exact match for Gymbo’s Pink Pizzazz and Moss Green!  Also, feel free to comment with a link to your M2M All About Buttons hair bows or accessories incorporating these colors – I’d love to see your designs.

Feel free to comment with a link to your M2M Orchard Harvest hair bows or accessories incorporating these colors – I’d love to see your designs.

If you have a better ribbon color match for Janie and Jack’s Parisian Park line, please post a comment with your thoughts!  Also, feel free to comment with a link to your M2M Parisian Park hair bows or accessories incorporating these colors – I’d love to see your designs.  Please note: O Seashell is a retired color, though still available (S Lt Pink is close).

• For the bottom layer: cut one 19″ length of White grosgrain ribbon 1.5″ wide

• For the middle layer: cut 4″ lengths of each: Lt Navy 5/8″ wide grosgrain, Shocking Pink/White stripe 5/8″ wide grosgrain, and two 4″ lengths of Shocking Pink dot 7/8″ wide grosgrain ribbon

• For the top layer: cut one 15″ length of Lt Navy 7/8″ wide grosgrain ribbon

• Wrap center with O Pistachio 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.  If you have designed a different style of bow to match Hanna Andersson’s Medallion dress, post a link in the comments, and show it off!

Anyway, I was lucky enough to find an adorable Bandanna Print Hanna Andersson dress on eBay that we both love for the holiday… whew!  After careful consideration, she requested a woven headband incorporating all the dress colors, and decorated with some pre-made red velvet flowers she found in my embellishment stash.  “Hmm…” I said, “I don’t usually use velvet in the summer”.  “Mom, they’re a perfect match!” And so they are (aside from being velvet).  So we embarked on the creation of a mutually acceptable, made-to-match, woven headband.

We settled on solid Navy and Capri ribbons, as they are the primary colors in the dress, along with a patriotic Red, White and Navy stripe – perfect for the holiday.  The completed weave came out pretty, though a little busy, so I tried to talk her out of the red flowers once again.  Since she would not hear of it, I decided to clump them all together rather than spread them out.  The end product is pretty cute and by some miracle – pleased both of us!  “It doesn’t even look like you made it!” she said, thrilled.  (This was supposed to be a compliment.)

Not sure how to make woven headbands?  I’m a do-it-yourselfer by nature and I typically figure out how to make things through trial-and-error, but woven headbands had me totally stumped.  I bought #1 Woven Headband Instructions from Devon at NoBowNoGo.com over a year ago, and was very pleased with her comprehensive and detailed directions as well as the many different weave patterns she outlines.  If you plan to make more than a couple, her instructions are well worth the modest price, and I highly recommend them.  I’ve been making these for my daughter, friends and customers for over a year and they are always a hit.

Wishing you and your family a peaceful Independence Day weekend!

7/5 UPDATE: I whipped up a pair of matching flops at the last minute.  What a fun outfit!

I Heart Hanna – which is my new line ID site, let me know what you think!  (Ribbon matches will remain on Way to Bow, soon to be updated and expanded here).

At I Heart Hanna, you will find:

• A huge library of Hanna Andersson clothing photos organized by year, season and collection
• Collection information (colors, styles, close-ups of fabric patterns etc.) for the last several years – this effort is ongoing
• ID tips like how to know if your long johns are the old loose fit or the new snug fit, how to date your items by the type of tag they have, and how to tell if your item is a “special make”
• Color names and codes

If you are a Hanna lover, check it out and contact me if you can help:

• identify items (especially older ones)
• donate your own pictures of items not yet included in the library (I will gladly watermark them with your name, website, eBay store or ID, or crop out any faces to protect your privacy).
• share pre-2006 catalogs (scanned or hard copy).  If you mail them to me, I will gladly scan them and mail them back to you!

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!

Suggestions for a better match?  Want to share your creations using these colors?  Questions about the line?  Post it all in comments here!

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!