Tying Bows

Bows are beautiful embellishments and with a little practice you can creat a whole range of stylish decorative bows. Here are the ones that work best on cards and stationery.

Single Bow

To tie a small single bow

• Leaving a length of about 4cm loose to your left make a loop in your left hand
• Make a loop of the same size next to it with your right hand
• Tie these two loops in a knot
• Oull the loops and the ends to create the size of bow you want.
• Tighten the knot to secure the bow and trim the ends on a diagonal - this looks good and stops the ends fraying.

A single bow in a wider organza ribbon will look beautiful when embellished at the knot with a ribbon rose or paper flower head secured with a mini glue dot. You may also want to tie a single bow around the stem of a flower, or to finish off a ribbon that wraps the spine of your card. Tie the ribbon in a knot at the place where you want it. Then  tie the bow as before. If you find your bow comes out upside down, undo it, turn the flower or card 180 degrees and tie it again.

Knot Bow

The knot bow is not actually a bow at all, it is a double knot.

• Wrap your ribbon length round your card
• Tie a single knot by moving the ribbon left over right and under
• Now tie a second knot on top again moving the ribbon left over right and under
• Either cut a V into the ends of the ribbon or trim on the diagonal to stop fraying

When tied in a wide ribbon the loose ends lie at right angles from the main ribbon, making a simple and stylish bow.

Shoebuckle Bow

The shoebuckle bow is elegant and looks complex but is surprisingly easy to make once you realise it is not actually tied like a bow at all! Instead it is made from 3 separate lengths of ribbon. To make a medium bow with 10mm ribbon:

• Take an 8cm length of ribbon and place a mini glue dot halfway along it.
• Fold the ends in to stick to the glue dot
• Take a 3cm length of ribbon and wrap this around the middle of your first part to create the bow, again fixing with glue dots
• Place a long strip of ribbon where required on your card and attach the shoebuckle bow.

If you can tie shoelaces, then you will be able to make beautiful bows. Try experimenting with different ribbon types and widths and you will be able to create a distinctive look that matches your event perfectly.

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