The Embroidered Ribbon Was Just Too Cute

It all started when I found this embroidered ribbon.

I bought it at D.M. Fabric, a shop on the first floor of China World.

As you can see in the photo, they had so many beautiful embroidered ribbons that I just couldn’t resist.

Some shops only sell ribbon by the roll, but here I was able to buy it by the meter.
(This may depend on the item.)

Warning Signs from the Design Stage

This is obvious the moment you touch it, but embroidered ribbon doesn’t stretch. Haha.

That makes it perfect for sleeve cuffs, denim hems, and little decorative details.

But for some reason, I had the brilliant idea that it might look cute along an off-shoulder neckline.

I combined it with leftover fabric from the pink dress I had made before and asked the Rama 4 Tailor to make it for me.

I think the tailoring fee was around 800 baht.

There was a fitting, and even then I remember thinking…

Oh no. This might be bad.

Finished!

And this was the result.

The structure was so stiff and sculpted that it almost looked like a corset.

Somehow, I had created what looked like a princess costume for a school performance.

Here I was, turning 40 that year and proudly continuing my Tailor-Made Journey…

And this was the moment I knew:

I had seriously messed up.

I wanted to scream, What have I done!? to the entire world.

I Tried Wearing It Anyway

The problem wasn’t just the costume-like look.

Because the embroidered ribbon doesn’t stretch, I literally couldn’t raise my arms any higher than this.

I left the dress untouched in my closet for quite a while.

Eventually, I tried desperately to tone it down with distressed denim and wore it for exactly ten minutes at a hotel in Pattaya, where I thought the background might help distract from the outfit.

Let me say it again:

My arms would not go any higher. Haha.

And to be clear, this was absolutely not the tailor’s fault.

The problem was my design request.

So please, everyone: be careful how you use embroidered ribbon.
(Although honestly, I’m probably the only person who would ever think of this design… embarrassing.)

I’m now thinking about turning the dress into something smaller, like a pouch or bag, instead.

Next Journey: Fabric Shopping — Why Shop 863 Is So Easy to Browse

This project was definitely a failure, and I have to admit that I became much more cautious afterward — which is probably why I started ordering more copies of existing clothes.

Still, I’m choosing to believe that failure is part of the journey.

A friend told me about a fabric shop called 863, so that’s where I went next.

See You on the Next Journey: Fabric Shopping — Why Shop 863 Is So Easy to Browse.