How to make a fabric bow for a wreath

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One of my favorite things to do is decorate my door for the holidays.  Wreaths are always great to dress up a door, and sometimes simple wreaths are the best.  A nice touch to a simple wreath is a big bow.  It’s one of the things I love to attach to a wreath.  I have been making these bows for a long time and thought I’d share with you how to make a big bow for a wreath.  Or really any place in your home.

The supplies you need are simple.  Some wire edged ribbon (I used about 12 ft. for this bow) and a pipe cleaner or two.

The first thing you do is make the center of your bow by creating a small loop. Keep your thumb inside the loop, holding down the end of your ribbon as you make the rest of the bow.

From that center loop, create a bigger loop on each side .  Going back and forth while holding the center together.

This ribbon was easy because it was the same on both sides.  If you are using a wire edged ribbon that has a design on one side, you will have to twist the ribbon at the center of the bow, as you begin to make the loops on each side.

I make 4 loops on each side.  I try to make them all the same size, but sometimes that doesn’t work and that is why we love the wire edge on the ribbon.  To finish off the bow create one large loop that goes down and will loop back up to the bow.

Gather the middle of the bow together, insert the pipe cleaner into the center loop and pull it back gathering all the other loops.  Tighten the center of the bow and twist the pipe cleaner together.  Just trim off the end of the ribbon.

Then you can fluff the bow and spread out the loops to get a look that you like.  You also want to decide how long you want your tails to hang and cut them to the desired length.

Then add it to your wreath!  Perfect!

Some people have asked for a printed version of the instructions, so you can now download the printed instructions using the download link below.

How to Make a Big Bow

Even though I’ve been making these kinds of bows for years, they never turn out 100% perfect.  My loops are rarely the same length, but a lot of the mistakes can be hidden if you use the right kind of ribbon.  It also takes a lot of practice, so don’t give up if your first try isn’t perfect! 🙂  Thinner ribbon can be a little easier to handle too.

Now that you know how to make a single ribbon bow, let’s try our hand at making a double ribbon bow for a wreath.

Now that you know how to make a big bow, where are you going to put it?

Happy Crafting!

Liz

Here is how I used one of these bows in my door decorations last Christmas:

Gift Wrapped Front Door

Active Time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Estimated Cost $10

Materials

Bow materials

• Large wire-edged ribbon design of your choice (12 feet)

Wreath

• Basic wreath of your choice

Instructions

1. Make the center of your bow by creating a small loop. 
2. Keep your thumb inside the loop, holding down the end of your ribbon as you make the rest of the bow.
3. From that center loop, create a bigger loop on each side, going back and forth while holding the center.**
4. Make 4 loops on each side of equal size.
5. Create one large loop that goes down and loops back up to finish tying the bow.
6. Gather the middle of the bow together, and insert the pipe cleaner into the center loop. Pull it back to gather all the other loops.  
7. Tighten the center of the bow and twist the pipe cleaner together.
8. Trim off the end of the ribbon.
9. Fluff the bow and spread out the loops to get a look that you like. 
10. Decide how long you want your ribbon tail to hang and cut them to the desired length.***

Notes

*Use whatever ribbon you like or that matches your decor.  As long as you like it, I think that’s what matters.

**If you are using a wire edged ribbon that has a design on one side, you will have to twist the ribbon at the center of the bow, as you begin to make the loops on each side.

***Even though I’ve been making these kinds of bows for years, they never turn out 100% perfect.  My loops are rarely the same length, but a lot of the mistakes can be hidden if you use the right kind of ribbon.  It also takes a lot of practice, so don’t give up if your first try isn’t perfect!   Thinner ribbon can be a little easier to handle too.