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Instructions for Making Beautiful Bows

How to Make a Bow Checklist by author Meghan Carter

  • Materials you'll need.
  • Step-by-step instructions for how to make two types of bows.
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What You Need

  • One Three Inch Piece of Craft Wire For Formal Bow, Two For Informal Bow, Three for a Double Bow
  • Long Wired or Unwired Ribbon
  • Wire Cutter
  • Scissors

How to Make a Single Bow Steps

  • Set the three inch piece or pieces of craft wire aside.
  • Take your ribbon off of the spool.
  • Straighten the ribbon out.
  • Pinch the ribbon a foot or two from the end leaving a tail.
  • Make a loop starting from the point where you pinched the ribbon.
  • If your ribbon does not look identical on both sides, twist the ribbon over before you make your next loop.
  • Make another loop.
  • Test to see if the loops are even by inserting a finger in each loop and pulling straight up.
  • Repeat process of making loops until you have an even number of loops.
  • Create center of the bow:
    • Formal Bow:
      • Make a very small loop.
      • Thread the wire through the inside of the small loop and around all of the other loops.
      • Twist the wire together to hold the loops in place.
    • Informal Bow:
      • Place the wire around the loops and twist it together.
      • Take one of your bow tails and wrap it around the center of the bow.
      • Thread wire through the wire holding the loops together and around the bow tail in the back of the bow.
      • Twist the wire together.
  • Spread the loops of the bow out.
  • Fold the bottom of one of the bow tails in half.
  • Cut the bow tail diagonally. Start cutting from the folded part aiming your scissors down away from the bow.
  • Cut the other bow tail in the same way making the tail longer, shorter or the same length.

How to Make a Double Bow Steps

  • Set the three inch piece of craft wire aside.
  • Take the ribbon you want for the back bow off of the spool.
  • Straighten the ribbon out.
  • Pinch the ribbon a foot or two from the end leaving a tail.
  • Make a loop starting from the point where you pinched the ribbon.
  • If your ribbon does not look identical on both sides, twist the ribbon over before you make your next loop.
  • Make another loop.
  • Test to see if the loops are even by inserting a finger in each loop and pulling straight up.
  • Repeat process of making loops until you have an even number of loops.
  • Put a wire around the loops.

  • Twist the wire together to hold the loops in place.
  • Spread the loops out.
  • Fold the bottom of one of the bow tails in half.
  • Cut the bow tail diagonally. Start cutting from the folded part aiming your scissors down away from the bow.
  • Cut the other bow tail in the same way making the tail longer, shorter or the same length.
  • Set the bow aside.
  • Take the ribbon you want to use for the front bow off of the spool.
  • Straighten the ribbon out.
  • Pinch the ribbon a foot or two from the end leaving a tail.
  • Make a loop starting from the point where you pinched the ribbon that is smaller than the loops you made for the back bow.
  • Check to make sure the loops of the new bow you are making are smaller than the loops on the first bow you made.
  • Twist the ribbon over if it does not look the same on both sides.
  • Make a second loop.
  • Test to see if the loops are even by inserting a finger in each loop and pulling straight up.
  • Make another set of loops that is a bit smaller than the first set of loops you made.
  • Continue making sets of loops that are a bit smaller than the ones you made before until you have made an even amount of loops.
  • Make a small loop.
  • Thread a wire through the center loop and around the center of the bow.
  • Twist the wire together to hold the loops together.
  • Spread the loops out.
  • Fold the bottom of one of the bow tails in half.
  • Cut the bow tail diagonally. Start cutting from the folded part aiming your scissors down away from the bow.
  • Cut the other bow tail in the same way making the tail longer, shorter or the same length.
  • Place the front bow on top of the back bow.
  • Take a piece of wire and thread it through the small loop on the front bow and around the center of both bows.
  • Twist the wire together to hold the two bows together.




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