How to make Ribbon bows :7 easy DIY tutorials

Ribbon bows are some of the prettiest embellishments you can sew on your clothes and accessories. They are very easy to make as well. Here are some very easy tutorials to make bows out of ribbons.

Some general tips for making the ribbon bows.

Use the sharpest of your scissors to cut ribbons. Before making the bows, you should ensure that the cut edges of the ribbons are taken care of, otherwise you will have a mess in your hands, soon enough. Use a cigarette lighter to burn the edges of the ribbon lightly  or cut it diagonally to the inside.

You can find even more bow tutorials with ribbon here in the post on making hairbows. 

Make Bows from ribbons – 7 tutorials

1. Flower ribbon bow

This is one of the prettiest of all bows you can make with ribbons. This bow  is usually glued on top of gift packages.

How to make this pretty ribbon bow

Step 1

Fold one edge of the ribbon to the inside like in the picture below, about 4 inches. If you want a bigger bow increase this or a smaller one decrease this.

Step 2

Continue folding the remaining ribbon under the first fold; making loops like the top one by going to right and left under the first layer. You need a minimum of 12 loops at least for the bow to look full and good. Make 15-20 such folds for a good enough bow. Ensure that all of the loops are of the same size, matching at the ends

Step 3

Take a piece of string or a floral wire to tie in the middle.

Step 4

Now spread the petals around the tie. Take some super glue and glue the petals at the end together( inconspicuously). This will ensure that there is no gap in between the petals. Shape the bow adequately if it does not look spread evenly.

2. Sunshine Bow

This is a bow made with many different pieces of cut ribbon. It is one of the easiest of all bows.

Step 1

Cut many pieces of ribbon . I have cut 10 pieces each of two colours of ribbon, making a total of 20 pieces of ribbon pieces. Cut the ends to the inside as in the picture below. When cut this way the ends donot fray as much

Step 2

Take string or wire to tie the middle. Arrange the ribbon pieces to look spread out.Wrap a ribbon piece around the wire to cover it , glue behind and you are done.

3. Simple floral bow

This is the most commonly made bow used in decorations, for tying around bouquets , gifts etc.

How much ribbon is needed to make his bow ?

You need a lot of ribbon to make this bow adequate puffy – minimum of 2 meters and if it is big enough as much as 7 meters. Decide on the diameter of the bow you want. You will be making loops half of this diameter . A minimum of 6 loops are needed for the bow to look somewhat full. You also need to leave two tails . So calculate how much you will want based on this – number of loops and the diameter of the finished bow and the length of the tails you want.

This floral bow is called a french bow when it has the middle loop very much smaller than the other  loops making it look like a flower; in the french bow the loops will be of different sizes as well

Step 1

Make a small loop from one end of the ribbon with your thumb and forefinger

Step 2

Make more loops around this first loop, slightly bigger than the middle one (keep your fingers in the loop, holding the additional loops as well); you can make these loops of the same size or different sizes.

Some ribbons shiny surface on either sides but most ribbons have one side more shinier than the other. If you are using a ribbon with  one good side, you will have to twist the ribbon to the good side after every loop is made so that the right side is always outside facing

Leave a long tail at the end. How much you should leave as the tail ? It should be double of what you need as the tails ( for two tails)

Step 3

Take the end of the tail up and wind it inside the middle loop. Glue it behind the loop

Step 4

Now cut the loop in the middle which will form your tails. Shape cut the ends.

4. Simple Tied Bow

How to tie a Bow

Step 1

Take the ribbon. Find the middle. Make two loops to either side .

Step 2

Cross the two loops

Step 3

Insert one of the loops inside the loop underside .

Tighten the loop by holding the loops (1 & 2) to either side. Adjust the length of the loops to what you want.

5. Layered bow

This is a tailored looking bow with loops stacked one on top of the other. 

Step 1

Cut out different sizes of ribbon as in the picture above. You can vary the sizes as per your need. Just make it different lengths. 

Step 2

Find the center of the ribbon pieces . Bring the edges to the middle and glue. Do this for each pieces.

Step 3

Layer small loops on top of the big ones.

Cover the middle of these with small piece of ribbon. Glue to the back

6. Easy Butterfly Bow

This is one of the most easy bows you can make. To make a 5 inch wide bow take a ribbon piece  which is 16 inch long and a small piece of floral wire/ string. 

Step 1

Find the center  of the ribbon you have at hand . Make two loops to either side, with the ribbon’s good side facing up. Hold the middle of these loops securely

Step 2

Place the wire at the middle meeting point and tie it around. Tighten the wire so that the bow is automatically formed. Twist the wire in the back. Trim the excess wire. You can cover the wire with a small piece of ribbon.

7. Faux Ribbon bow

You can make a bow by simply folding the ribbons and stitching it together. This bow is usually used when you have a flower/button to be placed inside. Checkout more details on the post on making fabric bows.

Related posts : Different types of ribbons ; Ribbon Rose 7 DIY tutorials ; Make your own Ribbon trims – DIY tutorials