How to Make a Bow for a Wreath

Making a Fluffy Bow with Wire Ribbon

Cut off a 4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm) piece of floral wire. Set it to the side somewhere it can be easily found later on. This is the wire you will use at the end to hold your entire bow together. If you don't have floral wire, you could also use a pipe cleaner.

Unspool your wired ribbon, take one end, and make a small circle with it. For making a fluffy bow, use a minimum of 9 feet (2.7 m)—the more ribbon, the fluffier the bow! Make a small circle, about 3 inches (7.6 cm) wide, at one end of the ribbon. If you're at the store and aren't sure if the ribbon is wired or not, simply pinch a portion of it together—if it keeps its shape, it's wired. Keep in mind as you work that you'll need to stop when you have about 12 inches (30 cm) of fabric remaining.

Pinch the end of the circle together in your non-dominant hand. Where the end of the ribbon touches the rest of the ribbon, pinch that seam together and hold it between the fingers of your non-dominant hand. This leaves your dominant hand free to shape the rest of the bow. You're going to use your non-dominant hand to hold together the fabric the entire time you're making the bow.

Create a figure-eight by making loops on either side of the circle. Make a loop on one side of the circle, pinch the fabric in the middle, and then make a loop on the other side of the circle to create the figure-eight image. Continue pinching together the fabric in the middle that meets at your fingers. When you look at the bow from the side, it'll look like the number “8.”

Continue making progressively larger figure-eight loops. Make at least 5 or 6 layers of ribboned loops. If you are using a lot of fabric, you may even make closer to 9 or 10! Remember to keep gathering the material in the middle by pinching it between your fingers. At this stage, your loops will be layered rather than spread out and the bow might look a little strange, but don't worry! You're on the right path.

Stop making loops when you have about 12 inches (30 cm) of fabric left. Take the end of the ribbon and place it between your fingers in your non-dominant hand, forming a large circle. 12 inches (30 cm) of ribbon will produce bow tails that are about 6 inches (15 cm) long each.

Thread the piece of floral wire around the fabric you've been pinching. Cinch it tight and twist it several times to make sure it's secure. You can now release that bundle of fabric you've been holding on to! If you're using a pipe cleaner, follow the same process: thread it around the pinched fabric and twist it off to ensure it'll stay in place.

Cut the middle of the last big loop you made to form the tails of the bow. Cut in the middle of the fabric and watch as the ends fall down, creating the tails of your bow. You could even cut small triangles out of each end to add an additional flourish to the design. If you want longer tails, leave more fabric at the end when you stop making your loops. If you want shorter tails, you can simply trim them to the length you want.

Shape the ribbon by rearranging the loops. Spread out the loops until you create a large, fluffy, full-looking bow. Make sure to pull loops upwards and down, and do your best to leave no see-through spaces between the loops. The great thing about using wire ribbon is that you can reform the loops easily if they get bent out of shape.

Creating a Bow from Unwired Ribbon

Cut off a 4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm) piece of floral wire. Leave this piece of wire off to the side somewhere you can find it easily later on. You'll use it to secure your bow once you're finished making it. If you don't have floral wire, use a pipe cleaner.

Take your ribbon and make a twist at the end of it. Use at least 2 feet (0.61 m) of ribbon for this bow. Twist the end, leaving about 6 inches (15 cm) of fabric for one of your tail ends. If you're using ribbon that isn't patterned on both sides, just make sure that the patterned or colored side is on the outside of the twist.

Make multiple loops, twisting the fabric at the end of each loop. Hold the forming bow in your non-dominant hand and use your dominant hand to make the loops and twists. How large you make the loops depends on how big you want the bow to be—use smaller loops for a more concentrated bow, and use bigger loops for a larger, fluffier bow. For this bow, you won't be making a figure-eight pattern. Instead, you'll just be making each loop consecutively right next to one another.

Stop making loops on an even number. Make anywhere from 6-10 loops (or more, if you're going for a really large bow!) before you stop. The even number helps create symmetry in your bow.

Cut off your bow from the rest of the ribbon. Cut the ribbon so that there are roughly equal-sized tails on each side. If you're worried about matching the sides, just leave extra room so you can trim the ribbon tails to match later on. It's okay if the edge is a little jagged—you can tidy it up later on.

Thread your floral wire through the center of the bow. Position the wire so that half of the loops are on one side and the rest are on the other. Twist off the floral wire several times so that it stays firmly in place. If you're using a pipe cleaner, follow the same process. You can leave the excess floral wire in place and use it to attach the bow to the wreath later on.

Spread out the loops to create a fluffy bow! Position the loops in all directions so that it looks full. Because this bow is made of unwired fabric, it might look a little loose, but that's part of the beauty of it! If you want, you can also cut small triangles out of the ends of the tails for an added flourish.

Crafting a Rustic Bow with Burlap

Cut off 3 separate sections of burlap ribbon. Make one piece 60 inches (150 cm), one 24 inches (61 cm), and the last one 8 inches (20 cm). Additionally, cut the 8 in (20 cm) piece of burlap in half lengthwise. These measurements will create a large, rustic bow that will hang down off of your wreath.

Hold the large ribbon in the center, and fold the sides down and across. Leave about 16 inches (41 cm) of fabric in the center before making your folds, as this will be the main part of your bow. Fold each side down and across so that the end of each one is on the opposite side. It's usually easier if you do this at a workstation so you can lay the ribbon down flat.

Fold the 24 in (61 cm) piece of ribbon so the ends meet in the middle. Place the folded ribbon, seam-side down, over top of and in the middle of the 16 in (41 cm) section from the largest ribbon, layering one on top of the other. This second piece of fabric helps create depth in your bow by giving it a second dimension, rather than just having a flat, single-layer bow.

Gather the fabric in the middle of your ribbons to make a bow shape. Pinch the fabric together in the very middle to create the 2 sides of your bow, and hold the fabric together using your non-dominant hand. One side of the bow should be a mirror reflection of the other side.

Wrap your floral wire around the center of the bow. Thread it around the middle, and twist it off several times to ensure it's secure and won't come undone. If you don't have floral wire, you could also use a pipe cleaner. You can either trim off the excess ends of the wire, or let them stick out to the sides so you can use them to attach the bow to the wreath later on.

Cover the floral wire with the halved 8 in (20 cm) piece of burlap. Wrap it around several times until there isn't any excess ribbon to be wrapped around. If you want, you could also take the other half of that 8 in (20 cm) piece of burlap and wrap it around the middle, too. A fun variation here is to use a colored or patterned ribbon to cover the floral wire for a little pop of color!

Use your glue gun to secure the burlap on the backside. Flip your bow over and apply some hot glue to the burlap that's covering the floral wire. Use your scissors to trim off any burlap that is still sticking up. Let the hot glue dry before you flip it back over so it doesn't accidentally get stuck to your table. If you don't have a hot glue gun, you could use double-sided tape.

Cut out triangles from the ends of the “tails” for an added flourish. Instead of leaving the ends of your burlap as straight edges, cut out a triangle shape from each end for a rustic and authentic feel. It's okay if the triangles don't match exactly, but try to keep them about the same general size.