How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (2023)

Learn How to Make a Perfect Ribbon Bow - Seven Different Ways - Free Printable Guide

Learn how to tie a beautiful bow for the perfect gift, wreath, or tree ornament. When finding the perfect gift seems like an impossible task, at least you can be sure your gift will look amazing!

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Between wrapping and decorating, there are many times when a pretty bow adds the perfect finishing touch. So I make it easy for you!

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I've made a list of 7 of my favorite Christmas bows and I'll show you how to make each one. I'm detailing the steps so you can go ahead and customize each design to your needs.

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From a simple no-tie bow to a two-tiered treetop bow, this guide has it all!

I will share step by step instructions along with photos and a video tutorial. I've even included a free 43-page printable guide with everything you need to know to create the perfect bows this holiday season!

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This blog post contains everything you need. Imagine how beautiful your gifts will look under the Christmas tree!

Index

perfect bow accessory

Having the right accessories for each bow on hand makes all the difference! In each tutorial I will tell you what I use and what I recommend to get the best results. I would recommend stocking up on a variety of different wire tapes. Having a few different colors and widths on hand makes it easy to get creative.

*Professional advice- Shop all ribbons and gift packaging in a matching color palette. This way, you can mix and match different combinations of ribbon and wrapping paper, and you can easily use any leftovers in my shard bow tutorial.

  • Salida- In this tutorial I use different types of tapes. I'll break down each style I use for each loop in the instructions below. All the tapes were bought from Joann.
  • Scissors
  • hot glue gun
  • hot glue sticks
  • cabo,pipe cleaners, or clamps
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How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (6)

Additional Gift Wrapping Materials

Are you ready to wrap the perfect gift this holiday season? For the best results, you'll need a few supplies on hand!

When shopping for wrapping paper, look for wrapping paper that has a grid printed on the back of the paper for quick and easy cutting.

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Are you ready to start your bow making journey? Be sure to download and print my Ultimate Guide to Bow Making, or download it to your tablet or phone for easy reference!

This 43-page guide is perfect to have on hand when wrapping your gifts this holiday season.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE PRINTABLE ARCH GUIDE!

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Let's start with one of my all time favorite bow tutorials. It's easy to make and looks great on any gift!

How to make a simple bow without a tie

*I am using 2 1/2 inch wire ribbon for this bow

Create a large bow the size you want, making sure the pretty side of the ribbon is facing up to complete the bow.

Adjust both loops and ends to the same size and cut off the excess tape.

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How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (10)

Use a pipe cleaner, a piece of wire, or a clamp to tighten and secure the center.

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How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (12)

Then take a small piece of tape, fold the two long edges towards the center and secure with glue for a narrower piece of tape.

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Wrap it around the center of the loop, covering the wire. Fix with hot glue.

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Fold the end of the tape in half and make a diagonal cut, creating a "dovetail" finish.

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How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (20)
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Use some glue to secure your gift. I like to tuck the tails in a bit to create some volume, but that's optional!

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How to tie a pom pom bow

*I use 1 1/2 inch wire tape for this bow

Take your ribbon and create a loop of the desired diameter. I make about 5 centimeters in diameter.

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Flatten your hoop and continue to wrap around this hoop until you have about 8 total hoops. The more turns, the fuller your bow will be.

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How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (25)

Cut off the excess tape.

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Now cut shallow notches in each corner of your bow. This will reduce the mass when we place the bow.

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Then bring the notched ends of the ribbon loop together in the center.

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Secure the marked center with a piece of twine or wire and tie it off. Leave enough wire or twine to attach to your gift.

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Working on one side of the loop, pull the innermost loop and twist it to the right. Pull the next innermost loop and twist it to the left.

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How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (32)

Continue until all the loops are twisted on one side. Repeat for the other side of the arch.

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Now loosen and tighten the tie ties until you are satisfied with the end result.

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Use the ends of the string to attach the bow to a ribbon that is already tied around the package. voila!

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How to make a bow without a tie

Create a ribbon bow of the desired width from your finished bow.

Attach this loop with hot glue.

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How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (38)

Then create a second loop, slightly smaller than the first, and secure it with hot glue.

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Place the mangoes one on top of the other, with the largest on the bottom. Identify the center of the loops and fold or join them.

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Secure it well with a piece of wire.

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Then take a small piece of the base tape and wrap it around the middle of the bow. Fix with hot glue.

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To make the ends of the bow, cut two pieces of base tape to the desired length.

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Then cut two pieces of the top loop slightly shorter than the other two loops.

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Lay a shorter ribbon on top of each longer ribbon and glue the edges flush.

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Fold the tops if you wish.

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How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (50)

Place the two ends of the ribbon in the center of the back of the bow ties and secure with glue.

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Cut the ends of the ribbon at a slight angle.

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You can leave the bow as it is, or you can loosen the ties and create some waves at the ends of the bow. What look do you prefer?

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Attach it to your package and it's ready for gifting!

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How to tie a scrap bow

I use a variety of ribbons for this tie. This is a great way to use up all those leftover ribbons! Everything goes as far as thickness, texture, color, and pattern.

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Take different ribbons and trims and cut them all to the same length. The length of the ribbons matches the diameter of your finished bow. I do about 6 inches in diameter.

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Starting with the thickest bands, create a two-band X shape. He then continues layering all the strips, continuing in the X formation, working with the thicker strips first and then moving on to the thinner ones.

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How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (58)

Take a thin piece of ribbon or twine and tie the ribbons tightly in the middle. I keep these tails long so I can wrap them around my present.

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Loosen the loop by gently pulling on all the ribbons in the center.

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Cut the ends diagonally or in a straight line.

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Tie it to your pack for an awesome bow!

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How to tie a classic gift bow

I use 1 inch silk ribbon for this bow. You can use a slightly thicker ribbon for this and/or wire ribbon for a tighter tie.

Cut ribbons 3.10 inches long and ribbons 3.9 inches long.

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Once all the ribbons are cut, take one end of the ribbon and fold it towards the center of the ribbon, creating a small bow.

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Now bring the end to the middle to create a loop. Now repeat with the other end of the tape. You create a small infinity symbol or figure eight.

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Overlap the edges slightly and glue to the center of the ribbon to hold the ties in place.

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Repeat this process for all of your ribbon pieces.

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Start by placing two of your larger bow pieces on top of each other in a cross shape and glue into place.

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Glue the last large piece of lace onto it in an X shape.

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Now add smaller loops one by one. The first small loop should fill the last gap in star formation.

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Now add the last two tapes. These two small loops should overlap the position of the first two large loops.

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How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (72)

Once you have organized and secured all 6 loops, you can create a final single loop that you will place in the center.

Cut a small piece and fold over a small bow and secure with glue.

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How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (74)

Then glue it in the middle of the bow to finish.

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Catch or catch your gift.

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These bows are super versatile and can look very different depending on the ribbon you choose, so have fun with them!

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How to tie a double ribbon bow or Christmas tree ornament bow

I used two types of 2 1/2 inch wire ribbon for this bow.

Take your two ribbons, place them on top of each other, and treat them as one.

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Start by making a loop in your hand, the desired fullness you want all your loops to have.

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Since these ribbons have a "pretty side", we always need to make sure that the right side is always facing up. So after we've made our first loop, we're going to rotate the ribbons a bit so that the right side is facing up.

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How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (81)

Now create another loop and twist it again.

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Make more loops and twist the ribbon until you have a total of 8 loops, 4 on each side.

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How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (85)

Now make a big loop that will be the tail of your loop.

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Now use a cable tie or pipe cleaner to wrap around all your ties and tie them tight.

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Trim excess ribbon from the tails near the bottom of the bow.

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To fluff your bow, let's start at the bottom of the bow and separate the two ribbons on each bow. Pull one handle to the right and the other handle to the left.

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Then do the opposite with the next loop so that the bands with different patterns alternate.

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Continue separating until all 8 loops are undone.

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Now cut your large bow in half to create your tails, then trim the edges at an angle.

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How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (94)

Loosen the tie until you are satisfied with the end result.

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This bow is awesome on a gift, a wreath, or even as a tree topper! If you want to go the treetop route, make two of these arcs and connect them to create a more spherical shape.

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How to tie a 6-twist wire ribbon bow

I use 2 1/2 inch wire ribbon for this bow.

Decide how wide you want your bow to be and make a bow of the desired diameter.

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Now wrap this loop two more times so that you have a total of 3 loops.

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Make sure you start and stop wrapping the ribbon before you start the center and right after that so the ends of the bow are caught in the center and your bows don't come undone as you make the bow.

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For the ribbon tails, fold a piece of ribbon in half slightly longer than your desired final length and cut.

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Squeeze the center of your arch. Depending on the thickness of the tape, you can make a nice fold or just roll it up slightly.

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Now pinch half of the folded ribbon tails together and secure to the back of your pinched bow.

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Now use a piece of wire to hold everything together. cut thread

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How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (104)

For the middle of the loop, take a shorter piece of ribbon and tie a knot in the middle.

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How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (106)

Wrap it in the middle of the loops and tails and secure with glue.

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How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (108)

Now work one side of the loop and separate the inner loops, one on the left and one on the right, leaving the top loop in the middle.

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Repeat for the other side of the loop and drop the loops.

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Now you can use the pipe cleaner tails to attach your bow to a wreath or gift!

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How to Tie a Perfect Ribbon Bow: Seven Ways (112)

You've officially reached the end of Sweet Red Poppy's 7 Christmas Loops!

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Which archery tutorial was your favorite and which ones do you plan to display under the tree this holiday season?

If you try any of these bows, please let me know!

Do you have other bow types I should try or share a tutorial?

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CliqueHereif you want to do more Christmas crafts.

join the creationFacebookGroup where you can show us what you do, ask questions and learn from others!

Don't you want to forget about this project? Be sure to pin it to Pinterest by clicking on it.HERE!

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Learn How to Make a Perfect Ribbon Bow - Seven Different Ways - Free Printable Guide

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