How to Make a Ribbon Bow

Learn how to make a ribbon bow. Ribbon Bows look great on hair clips, DIY gift bags, clothing and all kinds of fun homemade presents. They are so fun and easy to make you will wonder why you didn't learn how to make them years ago!

I always find it relaxing to sit in front of the tv in the evenings and make hair clips with my glue gun. In making these samples to show you, it took longer for my glue gun to heat up than to make the actual bows. Don't worry if you don't have a glue gun. A simple needle and thread are all you really need to learn how to make a ribbon bow.

How to Make a Ribbon Bow - SUPPLIES

Supplies you will need:

RIBBON - 1 ½ inch (38mm) wide grosgrain ribbon (This is the ribbon with the textured lines across it). You can use regular satin ribbon but the grosgrain ribbon results in a bow with more fullness and body.
- Cut 2 pieces of ribbon 7 inches (17.7cm) each.
- 2 inches of ⅜ inch (10mm) wide ribbon for the center.
OPTIONAL - Hot glue gun. If you are joining these bows to hairclips it is easier to make them with a hot glue gun. If you will be joining your bows to clothing that needs to be washed, you should skip the glue gun and do all hand sewing.
NEEDLE - Hand sewing needle.
THREAD - I always like to use upholstery thread as you can pull it really hard and it won't snap.

ribbon-bow-supplies — How to Make a Ribbon Bow - Supplies

How to Make a Ribbon Bow - Video

Here is a video I made for you showing how to make a ribbon bow. It is just a few minutes long, so please enjoy! Make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel for weekly sewing and craft videos.

How to Make a Ribbon Bow Video

How to Make a Ribbon Bow - Instructions

Step 1 - Overlap Ends

Take one of your wider 7 inch (38mm) pieces of ribbon and fold the ends in so they overlap in the middle by ¼ inch (6mm). Pin it in place.

ribbon-bow-step-1 — Step 1 - Overlap the ends

Step 2 - Stitch Through Center

Thread your needle and knot the end. Make small running stitches through the center of the ribbon ensuring you catch in all layers. Don't cut your thread.

ribbon-bow-step-2 — Step 2 - Stitch through center

Step 3 - Pull Tight

Pull the thread tight and arrange the folds carefully with your fingers. Use the tail of the thread to wrap around the center of the bow a few times and pull really tight.

Knot off the thread at the back.

Step 4 - Repeat

Repeat the above steps for the second piece of wide ribbon. You now have 2 lovely looking bows!

ribbon-bow-step-3 — Step 3 and 4 - Wind around the center and knot

Step 5 - Join the Bows

The next step in how to make a ribbon bow is to join the bows. Place one bow on top of the other bow aligning their centers. Use your thread and wrap it around the center of the two bows. Knot it off at the back.

Try and be accurate when winding the thread around the center as you will end up with a more symmetrical bow. If you are going to be joining your bow to clothing don't cut the thread yet. For hairclips or articles that don't need washing, you can cut the thread.

ribbon-bow-step-7 — Step 5 - Wind around both bows

Step 6 - Glue The Center

Place your thin strip of ribbon for the center down on the table. If the ribbon has a one-sided pattern, then place it pattern side down.

Place your bow on top. Do a quick check and see if one side of your bow looks better than the other. Put the nicer side facing down.

ribbon-bow-step-4 — Step 6 - Place the center piece

Wrap the small ribbon tightly around the center of the bow. You want it to overlap by about ⅜ inch (1cm) at the back. Trim it a little shorter if necessary.

Then either stitch or glue the ends.