Bows Make Instant Festivity

by Clare

My friend Ginne has had more different kinds of jobs than anyone I know. When she was a delivery driver for a florist shop, she learned to tie the bows that were used on the arrangements. She is now a master bow maker. Using sometimes up to three colors of ribbon, she crafts satin confections that are carefully packed away by their recipients to grace another package. A well-made bow can dress up an otherwise ho-hum gift and transform a great gift into to a spectacular one.

Making bows is a skill that takes some practice. We recommend that you buy a 100-yard spool of size #9 satin acetate ribbon for practice.

Cut a piece of #9 satin acetate ribbon about 24" long.

Fold the ribbon piece in half, lengthwise, and set it aside.

Notice that one side of the ribbon is shiny, one side is dull. We want to have only shiny sides of the ribbon showing. Pull out a length of ribbon from the spool (don't cut it off!) and pinch it tight about 4" from the end. This will be the center of the bow.

Form a loop…

And then give the ribbon a twist and a pinch.

Below the first loop, form another loop. Twist and pinch to keep the shiny side of the ribbon out.

Working in a clockwise direction, the next top loop will be to the right of the original top loop. The next bottom loop will be to the left of the original bottom loop.

Continue twisting and pinching loops above and below until the bow has the amount of fullness you want. Then cut the ribbon from the spool.

Now it is time to use that piece of folded ribbon you set aside earlier. Place it around the middle of the bow.

Tie the folded ribbon around the middle of the bow. Use the kind of half knot you use to tie your shoes but with one difference. When you tie your shoes, you make one knot. For bow making, pass the end of the ribbon through the knot again.

This will keep the ribbon from slipping and is the secret to a tightly tied (and beautiful!) bow. Pull the folded piece of ribbon very tight! The tighter you can pull it, the more the bow will stand up.

Fluff out the loops.

You can adorn your bows with interesting things in the center, like sparkly pipe cleaners. Here's how:

Bend two sparkly pipe cleaners in half at the center. Twist them (one side at a time) around a pencil to make a corkscrew shape. Place the center of the bow in the bend of the pipe cleaners, wrap them around the center of the bow, and twist them together like a twist-tie on a bag of bread. Viola! You can also use mini Christmas balls on wire too.

As we open presents, each bow gets placed on the Christmas tree.

Clare enjoys sewing and crafting. Every winter she makes seven wreaths (with Ginne's bows!) for her home in East Rochester, NY.

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