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.
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:
how to match the bow size with the size of the wreath? My wreath is 16″ in diameter. what size diameter bow should I use?
I usually do my bows about 1/2 to 1/3 the size of the wreath diameter. So at least a 6″ to 8″ bow.
I cheat using the EZ Bow Maker….lol. It acts as a third hand and is easier for me. What l would like to know is how to you layer bows? I have seen wreaths with a large bow, and a smaller bow made out of a different ribbon placed on top of the large one. I might have seen 3 bows layered. Do you make them both at the same time working with both ribbons or do each one individually? If you keep scrolling down under this post, you will see mesh wreaths with these layered bows. Thanks.
I have not done a layered bow. I have done a double ribbon bow and I do that at the same time. You can check that out at https://lizoncall.com/how-to-make-a-double-ribbon-bow-for-a-wreath/
I know that this post is from a long time ago but thank you! I made a beautiful now for my wreath today using your tutorial.
Oh I’m so glad! I’m happy you found it helpful and can enjoy your hard work!
Thank you for this great tutorial! Can you tell me how wide your ribbon is?
Hi Danielle! My ribbon is about 2 inches to 2.5 inches wide. Let me know if you have anymore questions! Thanks.
I must be dumb. I can not figure this out :/
Oh no! Don’t say that. It has taken me making lots of bows to get it down. And even now, they sometimes don’t turn out. Is there a particular part you are having an issue with? Maybe I can help you. I have found that wire edged ribbon works best.
Thank you for making my “bow making” remarkably simple.
You are very welcome Kay! 🙂
Liz,
I want to Thank You for sharing your Awesome bow making instructions. I have tied bows and packages with wired ribbon for many years. I needed to make a bow for a hanging picture and did not know how. Your instructions are wonderful. I know how to make beautiful bows, Thanks to you.
Thank you Pamela! I’m glad you found them easy to follow. I appreciate the feed back. They make sense to me, so it’s good to know they make sense to others as well. Happy bow making! 🙂
Beautiful bow! What are the dimensions??
Thank you! This particular bow is about 11 inches wide by 8 inches tall. That is the actual bow part, not including the tails.
Thanks Liz!
Oh I can so definitely use this as a reference, pinning!
Thanks for pinning Brenda!
Thank you for the easy and simple tutorial for making a bow. I love big bows. Thanks 🙂
Thanks Crystal! I love making big bows too! Thanks for always taking time leave such sweet comments. Have a great weekend.
I have always been afraid to make these… I know that is silly, but following your instructions I was able to make 5 for real wreaths that I added picks to as gifts for my office staff. They turned out pretty good, just like downtown as they used to say! I think I will take this on more often in the future,
Thanks
Yay Marylou! I’m so glad you did it! I bet your office staff loved them.
Thank you for the tutorial! My first bow is beautiful!
Oh this makes me so happy!