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For the longest time I have struggled with making bows. Seriously. I might be all crafty but bows have always been my DIY kryptonite. I am not even playing. I would go all sorts of out of my way to avoid making a bow or I’d spend a bunch of money buying pre-made bows but no more! I’ve seriously got the easiest and quickest way to make pretty bows every. single. time.
There’s something about making loops and twisting and tying that just doesn’t work for me. I’d like to blame it on my bum hand but I’ve got to tell you this is hardly new thing. A few years ago I needed bows for a Halloween craft and the design I really wanted to do required a bow. Ugh. I worked so long to make a sub-par looking (okay let’s call it like it is, ribbon MONSTROSITY) bow and I spent a lot of time crying. Like, a ridiculous amount. Crafting is supposed to make you happy, right?
So today I’m going to show you this method to make gorgeous bows in just a few minutes that are perfectly pretty. And be sure to come back tomorrow to see how to make the wreath that this pretty puppy goes on. Let’s hit it!
For this project you will need:
- Wired ribbon
- Hot glue gun (low temp is best)
- Wood spring clothes pins <– Get these at Walmart, SOOO much cheaper.
Grab some wired ribbon. It will have wires on the edges of the ribbon that will help your bow keep its pretty shape. It’s very easy to cut with scissors, no specialty nippers are required.
It is advisable to use wider ribbon for large bows and more narrow ribbon for smaller bows.
p.s. don’t you just love this ribbon? It doesn’t photograph very well but it is SO GORGEOUS in real life.
Decide on how bit you’d like the loops of your ribbon to be. Keep in mind that once the bow is put together each loop will become a bit smaller, anywhere from 0.5-1 inch in my experience. Double the ribbon and then cut to size.
Cut three of three of the loop pieces and then cut ribbon for the tail. Always cut just a little bit more than you think you want for the tail.
Using low temperature hot glue loop your your shorter, loop pieces and use hot glue to secure in place.
I cannot recommend enough using low temperature hot glue for this project. The glue oozes out of the ribbon, just a bit, but it’s totally enough that it can burn the living daylights out of you. Seriously. Trust the moron who used high temp and now has bad burns on her index finger and thumb! Even when using low temperature you can still get burned so be very careful.
In the middle of your loop pinch the ribbon together. I like for it to have a just two pleats, one at the top and one at the bottom of the ribbon, especially when this size. Put a dot of hot glue into the gathers while pinched in your fingers.
Squeeze a wooden clothespin to keep it together. This helps a bit to prevent burns but it helps immensely in speeding the bow making process up as you don’t have to hold things until the glue cools and sets. Repeat for your other 2 loops.
Fold your tail over twice right in the middle as seen above. Use a little bit of glue to keep it in this shape. This shape helps the pretty side of your ribbon to face out once the bow is complete.
Pinch and pleat that fold in your tail just like you did on your loops and hot glue in place.
Gather your 3 loops and put them together to begin forming the bow shape.
Add the center folded and pleated area of the tail piece to the middle of the bunched loops. Glue all four pieces together, taking care to center the pieces as best you can.
Fold a small piece of ribbon to fit over the top of your bow and give it the look of being tied rather than faked :) Cut this piece to be a bit longer than you expect you will need. It’s totally easy to trim it down but a pain if it is too short!
Hot glue the center of it on the front of the bow and allow to set. Flip the bow over and glue the flaps down on the middle of the backside of the bow.
Boom! You are all done! Be sure to come back tomorrow to see all of the details about making the pretty wreath you’ve gotten to sneak peeks of during this tutorial! I experienced heartbreak when after lots and lots of work everything went down the tubes and I had to start over. With my tips you can do it the right way the first time! See you then :)
