Learn to SHAPE your bows, make ribbon bows with STYLES
Here are your answers to how to make ribbon bows for girls and dolls, how to shape your American Girls' stylish ribbon bows:
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(Click on any of the below styles to view the photos and how-to tips...)
Home » Basic Ribbon Bows
 Butterfly Loopy Ribbon Bows |
 Peony Pom Poms |
 Ribbon Primrose Flower |
 Jasmine Ribbon Bows |
 Christmas Flat Ribbon Bows |
Re-do it or just twist it?
When you make ribbon bows, you may have tried, one twist, two twist… “Right! That’s the bow I want!”, but eventually the ribbon bow will go back to its original unwanted shape!
If your finished ribbon bow does not shape in the manner you want, re-do it. The fact is, you will not able to shape it by just twisting the loops to the place you want.
How NOT to re-do soO many times
To have a good shape ribbon bow …
First, it is a design factor. Use ribbon of appropriate width in ample length. Width, length, thick or thin material, all of them will make a difference.
Then, remember this very important point, hold your ribbon in the correct position before securing the center.
The tall-thin 'X' and short-fat 'X' will conclude the final shape of your bow, whether square or rectangular.
How much ribbon do I need to make ribbon bow?
It looks awkward to make a 50mm (2 inches) length bow using a 38mm (1-1/2 inches) width ribbon even you use the correct length. Similarly, your bow will look dull if you use a 9mm (3/8 inches) ribbon for 100mm (4 inches) length bow.
So, what is the range and limit for beautiful loops?
| Ribbon Width | Single Loop Length | Overall Bow Size |
| 10mm (3/8 inches) | 50-150mm (2-6 inches) | 38-100mm (1.5-4 inches) |
| 25mm (7/8 inches) | 100-150mm (4-6 inches) | 75-100mm (3-4 inches) |
| 38mm (1-1/2 inches) | 125-175mm (5-7 inches) | 100-125mm (4-5inches) |
What would be the total ribbon length?
2 loops bow = 2 x single loop length + 2 x tail length |
Attach Ribbon Bows on Hair Clips
For fashion wear, we have our hair clips nicely and neatly covered with ribbon, as much as we can.
Many times, we had even take a step further to make a no-slip hair clip with ribbons.
When attaching ribbon bows on hair clips, it is important to find ways to conceal all end joints. Hair bows are expensive investment (in terms of time!) and something you would like to show off. You may not wish others to say "Yuck!" when they analyze your creation. In the worse scenario, you should at least camouflage them.
Alternatively, you can attach ribbon bows on hair barrette. You can line the barrette with ribbon but I will normally just cover the finishing joints with one extra piece of 10mm (3/8 inches) ribbon. It looks as good.
Similar concept is used to attached bows on headband and hair band.
Wow! You Did It!
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