Thanks for your guest post Nikki.
Making beautiful crafty bows for special occasions, such as a birthday gift, for seats of honor at a party or bridal shower, pew bows for a wedding, or baby shower decorations can be an extra expense you might like to avoid if you’re on a tight budget. The frugal way to do it is to make your own bows, and the kids can help. It’s a fun and easy craft project that can save money time and again. You won’t need to buy pre-made bows, just a few inexpensive supplies from the discount store. You don’t have to be talented with crafty things, either, to make them look great.
What You Need:
- 1 Roll Baby of Wire-Edged Ribbon
- Scissors
- A second set of hands will be helpful on Step 5
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Start Your Bow
1. Pull out a length of ribbon, allowing the roll to be loose and free.
2. Fold the end of the ribbon back onto itself about 6 inches so that the wrong sides of the fabric are touching each other. Hold it with your thumb and forefinger.
3. Bring a second one around the outside in the same direction until it’s about 8 inches long. The second piece will be longer than the first. Move your fingers to hold it in place. Pretend you’re winding a very flat imaginary spool, creating a loop on either end.
4. Continue around in the same direction, making the ribbon flat by pressing it on a table or other hard surface. Go around about five more times. Flatten it again.
5. Pick it up and hold it in the middle with your thumb and forefinger, making sure that the sides are even. Don’t let go of your hold. Cut off the end of the ribbon halfway over from the midpoint to the end of the wrapped ribbon.
6. Using scissors, snip a short triangular notch on each side, about 1/8th of an inch wide and deep. Go through the wire, being careful not to cut the width of the ribbon all the way through.
7. Pick up the loose leftover piece of ribbon, which should be between 20 and 40 inches long. Wrap the piece across the notches and around the middle once, tying it in a tight knot.
8. Start arranging and fluffing the loops into petals and putting them side by side in a circle, like flower petals.
9. Bring one into the middle to make a center for your flower.
10. You can twirl the ends of the ribbon into tendrils or tie them around what you want to decorate, such as the arm of a chair. The bows can be used for parties and kept as mementos.
Note: For this craft, I used a 4-yard by 1.5-inch roll of Baby Ribbon to make one bow. To make a tighter bow, fold shorter lengths of ribbon.
