How to Make the Perfect Wired Ribbon Bow

I recently received a beautiful spool of holiday ribbon from Abakhan Fabrics, Hobby and Home. It was part of a the tutorial exchange program on Totally Tutorials. Thank you to both for providing me with a great material to work with.

I knew exactly what I wanted to make with my ribbon from Abakhan before I even received it, the perfect holiday bow. You can use it to adorn presents, wreaths and more.

Materials

• 1 - spool of 2 1/2 inch (6.25 cm) wide wire edged holiday ribbon
• wire cutters
• 18 inches of 26 gauge wire
• straight pins
• ruler
• pliers
• scissors

Directions

Remove the entire length of ribbon from the spool.

Lay it flat on your work surface and use a ruler and straight pins to mark 8 inch (20 cm) intervals down the ribbon.

Next you will thread your piece of wire down the center of the length of ribbon. Do this by poking the wire down into the ribbon at the first pin then up at the next, removing the pins as you go. Continue until you reach the end of the ribbon.

At this point your ribbon will be folded back and forth with the wire running through the center of the folds.

Push the folds of ribbon together and use your pliers to twist the wire and secure the ribbon.

Now it's time to add some shape to your bow. Gently open up each loop and evenly arrange them into a bow.

Trim the two ends of the ribbon at an angle to form neat tails.

You can use the additional length of wire to attach your bow on whatever you decide to adorn with a little holiday cheer.

Finally, trim any excess wire.

You can use the same process to make bows with narrower lengths of ribbon. The only thing you have to adjust is the spacing of your pins. For example, if you use 1 inch wide ribbon, just place your pins about 6 inches apart instead of 8 inches.