Have you ever wished that could have custom bows for gift wrapping, wedding decor or home decor? This DIY bow is super simple and will save you tons of money.
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I love the look of a beautifully wrapped present, especially ones with those big bows that are themed to the occasion or event. It just looks so polished. But I hate the price tag that comes along with those big bows that you see in stores.
It’s actually pretty easy to make your own big, fluffy bows and the great thing is that you can customize your color or size to any occasion or decor need.
1. choose the ribbon
One thing that I highly recommend is always using a wired ribbon. This will help your bow stand up and out and make the bow making process
Here are some ribbons you can use for different occasions
2. determine size of your bow
To determine width, hold your ribbon up the present you are wrapping or the area where you need the bow decor (such as around a vase or tied to a chair back for a wedding). Roughly eyeball how wide you want your bow to be.
Once you know how wide you want it to be you need to determine how large you want it to be (the fluffiness) The more loops you have the fluffier the bow will be.
3. FOLD LENGTH OF RIBBON
Pull out a length of ribbon and remember, the more loops there are the fluffier the bow will be. So the longer the length of ribbon the bigger the bow. Fold the ribbon in half and then continue folding in half as many times as needed to reach the width that you wanted
4. CUT NOTCHES IN RIBBON
When your ribbon is folded to the size you want cut two small triangle knotches on either edge of the ribbon in the middle of the length of ribbon
5. TIE PIPE CLEANER AROUND RIBBON CENTER
Use a pipe cleaner to secure your ribbon around the middle. Fold the pipe cleaner around the center of the ribbon, right over the two notches you just made. This will be the center of your bow and will be mostly hidden but you still want to choose a pipe cleaner as close in color to your ribbon as possible so it will be blend in.
6. PULL OUT LOOPS
Now that the center is secure you want to start pulling out your individual loops. If your ribbon has a design or pattern on it (such as lace or chevron) then some of your loops may be inside out. You need to flip these loops so that the pattern can be seen.
7. FLUFF BOW
Now comes the fun part. After you have pulled out all of the individual loops you need to start fluffing them up. You want each loop to look nice and rounded. You just want to eyeball the bow and keep fluffing until it resembles…. well, a bow. ; )
8. SECURE
When your bow is fluffed out and has the shape that you would like you are ready for securing your bow. There should be two tails that are leftover after you have fluffed all of your loops. These two tails are how you are going to attach your bow to your gift or wherever you are needing it.
If attaching to a gift you need to trim the two tails so they can hide underneath the bulk of the bow. Use these two tails to tape the bow down to the gift.
If you are using your bow as decor you have a few different options. You can use the tails to tie the bow to something such as a chair back or vase. You can attach extra ribbon to these small tails (the knot will be hidden under the bow) to create really long streamer tails. The options are really limitless to where you can use your bow and how you can attach it.
Other supplies needed
Other than the actual ribbon there are a few additional supplies that you may need when making and using your bow. Pipe cleaners are used to secure the bow in the middle and can also be used to secure the bow to another object. When wrapping a present my go-to gift wrap of choice is craft paper because it is cheap and so versatile. You simply add a different colored bow to get a different look. One roll of craft paper has been known to last me for years.
I hope this tutorial was helpful for you! Drop a comment below if you try this out for your next event. I would love to see pictures of all of y’all’s pretty bows!
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