Knowing how to make a gift bow can really come in handy. Sometimes it’s just the personal touch your gift needs to really make an impression. In my super simple gift bow tutorial I’ll show you how to make one using any size ribbon in less than 2 minutes. This is very similar to my Quick Easy Christmas Bow tutorial if you saw that one.
What you’ll need:
- Ribbon of your choice
- Scissors
- Zip Ties
- Hot glue gun and hot glue
Step 1: Cutting your ribbon
For this 6” bow you’ll need to cut 3 different lengths of ribbon. The first one is 21”, the second one is 11” and the third one is 2”. You can make your gift bow larger or smaller depending on your needs. Just make sure the second ribbon is roughly half the size of the first one. The third ribbon will always be 2”.
Step 2: Shaping your gift bow
Now it’s time to get the general shape of your bow. Take your longest ribbon and cross the 2 ends over each other so that it looks something like an awareness ribbon then bring the middle of your loop down to meet the cross you just made (see pics below).
Take your second ribbon and fold it into a circle making sure it overlaps in the back. Place your second ribbon on top of your first ribbon and look to see that everything is even. If you are using patterned ribbon you will want to twist your tails at this point to make them right-side-up.
Step 3: Secure your bow
Once you have your two layers done and you have your tails right side up, place the zip tie in the middle of your bow and tighten it slightly (not all the way). From here you can arrange and fluff and make sure everything is even and exactly where you want it to be. Once your bow looks how you want it to, tighten the zip tie all the way down and cut the excess off the back.
Step 4: Add the center piece
Next it’s time to add the center piece to your bow. Take your 2” piece of ribbon and fold each side inward so that you have a long, skinny shape (see pic below). Place a dot of hot glue on the zip tie and stick your folded ribbon to it. Fold the ribbon around your bow, covering the zip tie, and then finish gluing it down on the back. You want to make sure your overlap is in the back and facing down so that it cannot be seen from the front of the bow.
Step 5: Attaching your gift bow
Once you have your gift bow made you can simply place a rolled piece of tape on the back of the bow and tape it down to your package. If you’d like to tie your bow into your package you can place a piece of string under the center piece of ribbon before you finish gluing it all together and then tie the ribbon to your package. Since these bows are flat on the back they are great for all kinds of projects and can even be hot glued down. The possibilities are endless.
Check out the video tutorial below
