Adding Bows
When making one of these fun bows, trim ribbon tails at an angle to prevent
fraying or unraveling. Always use a sharp, clean pair of scissors!
For an elegant, cute or just plain fun accent, bows are a great way to
add that finishing touch to a handmade project.
While the thought of bows may bring the simple shoestring bow image to
mind, today there are a variety of modern ways to add bows to your personal
paper-crafting pieces. Here are some of our favorite ways to create unique
bows:
The Knot
Taking a long piece of ribbon, take one end and fold over one to two inches.
Make a loop and pull the end through to create a knot toward the short
end of the ribbon. Use a pair of scissors to cut off the excess ribbon
and trim the ends as desired. Tip: Tying the knot at one end of a piece
or spool of ribbon prevents you from wasting the ribbon. If you were to
tie the knot in the center of a long piece, when you trimmed the ends
off, you would create two smaller pieces of ribbon that may not be a size
you can use. This way you keep one longer, intact piece of ribbon. When
you cut the ribbon to a short piece before you tie it, often the piece
is too short, making the tying very frustrating.
You can attach the knot quickly and easily by placing a Glue Dot™
on the back of the knot, then attaching to a page, card or tag.
The Clip Knot
The knot is also perfect for creating an even more interesting page accent.
You can easily add a knot to a heart, star or other shaped clip for a
great embellishment. Simply thread the end of the ribbon through one loop
of the clip, then wrap around the tie the knot. Trim the ends. You can
slip the clip onto the edge of a photo mat or border or attach with a
Glue Dot™ behind the knot.
The Fold-Over
For a simple and quick accent, the fold-over is perfect. Simply take the
end of a long piece of ribbon (this is also great for using small scraps
of left-over ribbon) and fold down 1” to 1 1/2”. Cut the long
piece of ribbon to be even with the folded over end. Next insert a brad
about a 1/4” from the fold, through both sections of ribbon. Trim
the ends at an angle to finish the look. This is great for embellishing
the end of a tag—simply put the brad through the top of the tag
as well as the ribbon. You can also use this technique on the edge of
a photo mat, journaling block or card quote for a unique accent.
The Loop
The loop is very similar to the fold-over method. You’ll take the
end of a long piece of ribbon and fold down 1” to 1 1/2” and
again cut the long piece of ribbon to be even with the folded end. Then,
hold the ends together and insert a brad through both ends, thus creating
a loop. You can also simply tuck the ends behind a photo mat or journaling
block.
The Shoestring Bow
The traditional shoestring bow is always a welcome way to give a little
something extra to a page or card. To create this bow, simply take the
end of the spool of ribbon and fold over, creating a loop.
Wrap the free end of the ribbon loosely around the center of the
loop |
then form a loop in the free end of the ribbon and push it through
the center of the ribbon. |
Pull the loops in opposite directions to tighten and trim the tail
at an angle. Attach easily with a Glue Dot™ behind the knot
in the bow. |
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