How to Make a Christmas Bow

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Bows used for christmas decorations

Source: Cassandra NightThunder

7/8 CHRISTMAS TWINKLE GLITTER DOTS RED GREEN GROSGRAIN RIBBON 4 HAIRBOW BOW 

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The Christmas Bow. The one that is so fancy on the box that you don't even want to open it for fear of ruining the bow. I've gotten many of these bows and have just recently started giving these bows during Christmas time. They are easy to make and don't make a mess (minus getting some of the glitter from the glitter ribbon all over the place). All you need to make Christmas bows is the ribbon of your choice (I use wired ribbon and curling ribbon) and a pair of scissors. Everything else comes with attaching the bow to the wrapped package and most of that can be done with tape or more ribbon.

There are a lot of different kinds of Christmas bows you can make. Here's a list of some of the more popular kinds.

• Bows used in Christmas decorations such as hanging them on trees or tying them to candle sticks.
• Bows that are bought with ribbon that matches the wrapping paper that is being used for the gift.
• Regular large Christmas bows used for wreaths.
• Bows used to top off a gift.
• Bows that have a little something extra in the center to give it a little more decoration.
• Curly bows.
• Large Christmas wreath bows.
• Fun and stringy bows.

Wired Ribbon

The very first step in making a bow is to, of course, buy the ribbon. There are many places to buy ribbon. Most ribbon will come on 9 foot rolls. The BEST deal I found was at Sam's Club where I was able to buy 50 yards (150 feet) of candy cane stripped ribbon for just $10!!! All the other ribbon I have bought has been about $1.00 to $2.00 per 9 feet. There are also great deals online such as eBay or amazon and the choices of color and size are endless.

After you have purchased your ribbon the next step is to get it all organized and where you want it to work with it. Make sure you have your scissors handy because that will be the first thing you use.

When you are ready to start take all of the ribbon off of the roll, or cut a strip of ribbon to 9 foot long, and smooth it out so it's not all curled up. I have found that this length works well with most of the ribbons. I've been getting about 8 loops per side using 9 foot.

Wired Ribbon

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5 out of 5 stars from 7 ratings of Wired Ribbon

From here on it's basically a step by step process:

1. Cut about a 5-9 inch strip of ribbon from one end of the 9 foot piece.
2. Find the center of the (almost) 9 foot of ribbon.
3. Scrunch the center and TWIST.
4. Make your first loop however large or small you want it.
5. Scrunch the end of the loop in the center and TWIST.
6. With the other side of the ribbon make another loop. To measure to make sure it is the same length, place a finger in each loop and pull a little to verify the length is the same.
7. Scrunch the end of the loop in the center and TWIST.
8. Continue alternating loops until about 6 inches or so is left at the end of each side, making sure you are TWISTING after every loop. You can leave more or less ribbon at the end, these will be cut as your tails for the bow.
9. Use the small piece you cut at the beginning to tie a knot around the center/twisted parts of the bow you are holding. Pull tight!
10. Cut your ends into a "V" shape by folding them in half and starting at the seamed side cut diagonal towards the wired side of the ribbon making a perfect "V".
11. Spread out the loops of the bow to finish.

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Cut off about 9-12 inches of ribbon off one end of your long ribbon piece.

Source: Cassandra NightThunder

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Cut enough blue to use for the tie at the end of the bow.

Source: Cassandra NightThunder

Two tone wired bow

For doing a two tone ribbon like the blue and white one below it's basically the same just with a different starting point:

1. Cut two pieces of ribbon the same size, I did 4 1/2 foot pieces.
2. Cut one small piece that you will set aside to tie the center with.
3. Put the two different colored ends together, one inside the other.
4. Scrunch the center and TWIST.
5. Make your first loop however large or small you want it with one color of ribbon.
6. Scrunch the end of the loop in the center and TWIST.
7. With the other color of the ribbon make another loop on the opposite side. To measure to make sure it is the same length, place a finger in each loop and pull a little to verify the length is the same.
8. Scrunch the end of the loop in the center and TWIST.
9. Continue alternating loops until about 6 inches or so is left at the end of each side, making sure you are TWISTING after every loop. You can leave more or less ribbon at the end, these will be cut as your tails for the bow. When doing this you should have both colors on both sides of the bow.
10. Use the small piece you cut at the beginning to tie a knot around the center/twisted parts of the bow you are holding. Pull tight! Here I cut the ends of this ribbon really short so I would only have two tails instead of four.
11. Cut your ends into a "V" shape by folding them in half and starting at the seamed side cut diagonal towards the wired side of the ribbon making a perfect "V".
12. Spread out the loops of the bow to finish making sure the colors are in different spots.

Curly bows

Curly bows are just as easy to make. All you need is a pair of scissors, the curling ribbon and some tape to attach it to the gift box.

1. Cut ribbon into equal lengths (I did 24 inch lengths for longer curls and a bigger bow).
2. Tie all the cut pieces of ribbon together in the center.
3. Use a pair of scissors to curl each strand of ribbon (being careful not to cut yourself).
4. Once all Ribbon is curled your bow is done.

You can also make a multi color curled ribbon bow by following these steps:

1. Take two colors of ribbon (I used red and green) and cut ribbon into smaller 12 inch equal lengths.
2. Tie several pieces of the same color together using a knot in the center.
3. Use a pair of scissors to curl each strand of ribbon (being careful not to cut yourself).
4. After all strands are curled, set it aside and make another one of either the same color or a different color.
5. Repeat the above steps for however many sections of each color you decide to make.
6. Once all are made, hold all the centers of the sections together and tie tightly with a strip of ribbon. Can be any color used in the bow because you can either curl it's ends too or leave them straight to stick out of the curls.
7. To attach it to a gift just use tape in the center or around a few of the curled pieces to keep it in place.

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Cut the curling ribbon into equal lengths.

Source: Cassandra NightThunder

There are all kinds of different sites that have directions, pictures, and videos on how to make different bows. The following video is by Paperlillies and it shows how to make the little bows you buy in the bags for christmas presents. I actually just bought a ton of them and came home and realized I could have saved money if I would have made my own! So, enjoy the video and happy bow making season!!!!