How To Create A Bow With Ribbon

Learn how to make a bow for wreaths, gifts, Christmas tree toppers, and more. Wreaths are a good idea for decorating your front door.

A gorgeous handmade bow adds a nice touch to your wreath. There are many different ways to make a ribbon bow; however, this one is the easiest. These are perfect for decorating wreaths, Christmas gifts, Christmas trees, lanterns, and more.

DIY Wreath Bows with burlap, black and white and red and white buffalo check

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What Supplies Do I Need

I adore making bows; however, I remember my first few failed attempts at making them. Since then, I have learned to create many different types of ribbon bows. Additionally, I enjoy sharing my favorite ways to make a bow; you can find more bow tutorials in my ultimate bow-making guide.

Ribbons

Selecting ribbon is the best part of bow making. There are a ton of different types of ribbons. However, my favorite ribbon to make a bow is wired since it makes shaping bows super easy. The wire also helps the ribbon bow to maintain the shape of both the loops and tails.

I prefer using a wider ribbon such as 2 1/2 inches for wreath bows. However, my favorite ribbon for my DIY bows is a wired burlap ribbon.

Zip Tie and Wire

After you "tie" your bow, you will need a zip-tie or a piece of floral wire to hold your bow together. You can also use a chenille stem or pipe cleaner to cinch and hold it together. I like to use a chenille stem that matches the ribbon. Therefore, I keep a variety of colors on hand.

Wire Cutters and Scissors

I like to use sharp scissors and heavy-duty wire cutters (my favorite ones) when making bows and to craft.

How to Make a Bow out of Ribbon

To make this simple bow, I used a 2 1/2 inch wide wired ribbon. The first step is to determine the size of bow you would like to make. Once you know the size, you will make a loop with the ribbon, then loop your ribbon around the first loop two more times. Be sure to start and stop the ribbon circles a little before the center starts and a little after to finish.

Note: The number of loops on each side will be equivalent to the amount of ribbon "circles" you make. In other words, if you make three ribbon circles of ribbon, you will have three loops on each side of your bow.

Forming bow loops with wired ribbon

Make three ribbon loops

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2. Cut the ribbon off just about an inch past the center.

Cut the three loops of ribbon

Cut the three loops of ribbon.

3. To form the streamer or tails, fold a piece of ribbon in half just a little longer than your desired final length and cut the ribbon.

Cut ribbon for bow streamer

Cut ribbon for bow streamer.

4. To form the bow, pinch the center of the three circles of ribbon.

Pinch ribbon loops in the center

Pinch together the center of ribbon loops

5. Next, pinch the center of your stream tail and hold it on the pinched loops' center bottom.

Add the streamer ribbon to bow loops

Add the streamer ribbon

6. Use a zip tie (the one I used) around the center of the bow's loops. Be sure to pull it tight before trimming off the zip tie with your wirecutter (this one is my favorite). Please note: if you want to attach the bow to a wreath with wire or a chenille stem, place it on the back of your bow and then zip tie the bow and chenille stem together.

Use a zip tie to secure in the center

Use a zip tie to secure in the center.

7. The center ribbon knot is simple to make. Cut a piece of ribbon, then make a knot in the center of your ribbon. Use the tails of your ribbon knot to tie it around the center of the bow. Note: you can use another ribbon or the same ribbon for the center knot.

Add a ribbon bow knot around the center

Add a ribbon knot around the center.

8. You can tie the knotted ribbon around the center of the bow and leave the tails long enough to attach the bow to a wreath, as a lantern bow, Christmas tree bow, swag bow, or gift wrapping bow. You can also use hot glue or floral wire to attach the bow.

Fluffing the bow

Fluffing

9. To fluff the bow, I start with the inside left loop and pull it to the bottom, and then I grab the loop on the opposite side and do the same thing. I leave the loop on top as the center loop and pull out from the top, always leaving the center's top loop. However, you may like to arrange them the opposite either way is gorgeous.

Pulling the ribbon bow loops out

Pulling the ribbon loops out

Finish fluffing the wired ribbon bow

Finish fluffing the wired ribbon

10. Now, your wreath bow is ready to be attached to your wreath form. If you added a wire or chenille stem to the zip tie, you could wire the bow to your wreath. However, you can use a hot glue gun and glue it to your wreath, or you can pin it in place.

Learning how to make the perfect bow only takes a few minutes and no special tools!

These gorgeous bows all have a farmhouse-inspired vibe with the buffalo check or burlap ribbon. However, if you use a satin ribbon to make this bow, it will look elegant.

Buffalo Check DIY Bow

I used black and white buffalo check ribbon for this DIY ribbon bow. The ribbon choice is perfect for all-year use.

Black and white buffalo check DIY bow

Farmhouse Black and white buffalo check

Burlap wired ribbon bows are the most popular since they are lovely for wreaths, weddings, gifts, crafting, and decorating.

DIY Burlap

Wired Edge Ribbon Wreath Bow

You can make this bow with a grosgrain ribbon for a hair bow or a wide ribbon for decorating.

I made this handmade wood slice wreath from a fallen tree in my yard. I like the wood slices' rustic farmhouse look, and I enjoy buffalo check ribbon, so combining these two elements was a must.

Wood Slices Wreath

Make a rustic Farmhouse wreath with buffalo check ribbon

Make a rustic Farmhouse wreath with buffalo plaid ribbon

Making a Bow

Multi Ribbon Bow

Fall is my favorite time of year, and to celebrate, I like to create a gorgeous new bow for my fall wreath. In an earlier post, I shared how I made this multi Ribbon bow. It is an easy bow to make but looks so elegant. This bow is so gorgeous I had to use it on my Christmas wreath too.

Multi Dupioni Ribbon Bow

Easy DIY Bow

You know I LOVE Goodwill shirts, pumpkins! So I took it one step further, made a door hanger with a Goodwill shirt, and added this Easy DIY Bow. This two-loop b0w with short tails is just what my door hanger needed.

Easy bow making door hanger

One Ribbon

This one ribbon bow has a center loop, right and left loop (add as many loops as you wish), and tails.

Fall grapevine wreath with one ribbon wonder bow

DIY Double Ribbon Bow Step-by-Step

The Double Ribbon Bow is gorgeous and easy to make. See how to make this bow one on my YouTube video.

Note: This one makes the perfect Christmas tree topper bow too.

Double Ribbon Bow made of red, white and black ribbons bow with four ribbon tails sitting on a white table

Double Ribbon Bow Supplies

This bow does not require any fancy tools, just a few items you probably have on hand.

Ribbon (red and white) and (black and white)
Zip tie
Scissors

I recommend if you are using two different ribbons that they are the same width.

Red and white plus black and white ribbon on a craft mat

Dupioni Ribbons

Step 1. Place one ribbon on top of the other ribbon and treat them as one ribbon. Then, trim off the ends of the ribbon.

Ribbons placed on top of each other

Place the ribbons together

Step 2. Curl the end of the ribbons to form a center loop.

Holding the two ribbons together to form the center loop

Center loop

Step 3. Next, form the side loops of the bow. If you are using a one-sided ribbon, you will need to twist the ribbon for each loop.

Holding the center loop and forming the first side loop

Add side loops

Step 4. Form loops on each side of the center loop, going back and forth as you add the loops.

Adding the second row of ribbon loops

Adding loops

Note: You can choose to make all the side loops the same size or you can make each set of side loops a little larger. I made a total of four double-side loops and one center loop.

Bow loops are finished side view of bow

Adding the streamers

Step 5. To form the streamers (tails) I make a giant loop and then cut off the remaining ribbon.

Forming the ribbon bow tails

Making a large ribbon loop for the tails

Step 6. Then I pinch the center of all the loops and secure it with a zip tie.

Place the zip tie through

Secure loops with a zip tie

Step 7. The next step is fluffing the bow.

Fluffing the dupioni ribbon bow on craft mat

Fluffing

Step 8. To form the chevron, cut ends for the streamers I fold the stream ribbons in half length-wise and then fold again width-wise too.

folding the ribbon tail loop in half and trimming a "v" in the ends of thetails

Cutting streamer tails

Attaching the bow to a white loopy yarn wreath

Attaching to the wreath

Rustic Christmas Wreath

You can make this funky, fun bow with up to eight different ribbons. It is the perfect way to use up pieces of scrap ribbon. You can see how I made this fun bow in this earlier post.

Fun Multi Ribbon Bow on a loopy wreath

DIY Loopy Wreath

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Kippi