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A great Christmas wreath is only complete once it has an amazing bow on it. Check out how to make a funky bow for your Christmas wreaths. It’ll add the perfect festive touch!

Hey, y’all! We’ve been seeing how much you love bow tutorials, so we asked our friend over at Kelea’s Florals to show us how she makes her funky bows.

Why make funky bows? What do we use them for? Well, of course, we add them to our wreaths, but they also work great for lots of other projects! You can use these bows on door hangers, swags, garlands, Christmas trees, and even gifts. The whimsy effect you get from all the tails heading out in different directions really makes ANY project stand out in the best possible way.

If you love Christmas projects (and who doesn’t?), try adding a funky bow to a Grapevine Christmas Pine Wreath, DIY Christmas Wrapped Candy Cane Wreath, or a Simple DIY Christmas Centerpiece.

How to Make a Christmas Funky Bow

How To Make A Funky Bow For Christmas

Before we jump into the tutorial, here’s a little about Kelea!

She specializes in whimsical, wispy designs and fluid motion in the floral design structure. Her extensive background in gift show production, merchandising, and Etsy shop management help her to teach others in her Design School Classes. She has found her passion in teaching her students weekly on Facebook as well as in her design school community, helping them to learn to stand out from the masses in their designs.

Check out her video tutorial on how she creates her Christmas funky bow.

Christmas Funky Bow Video Tutorial

For anyone who is a visual learner, this video will walk you through the process from start to finish – just follow along!

Supplies Needed To Make A Funky Bow

Here’s everything you’ll need to complete this project. Please note that some links may be affiliate links.

DIY Funky Bow Instructions

Before you start putting your bow together, you first have to choose your ribbons. Picking out ribbons can be overwhelming, but just pick out the first one and then you can come up with your complete design using that one ribbon as inspiration.

In this design, we used 5 ribbons: (3) 2.5”, and (2) 1.5”, but feel free to play around with different size ribbons and different patterns and colors too!

Here are all the steps to make your own Christmas funky bow. If you find yourself getting confused as you read through the directions, I highly recommend watching the video for clarification.

Christmas Funky Bow Tutorial

Step 1

Pick out your busiest 2.5” ribbon and use it first. Make the first tail 8” long (this tail goes up), then come into the middle of the large dowels on the bow maker and make a twist. Twisting allows us to make the loop and have the ribbon with the correct side forward.

With the back of the ribbon facing up, measure out to 6”. Come back to the center in between the pegs and twist again. With the back of the ribbon facing up, measure out to 6”. Come back to the center in between the pegs, and now (do not twist) scrunch the ribbon (we want it right side up).

Measure the tail out to 8” (this tail goes down).

Step 2

The second ribbon choice is a contrasting color, so we are using a solid 1.5” ribbon. Simply repeat the same process that we did in the first step.

The only difference is that you will want to start on the opposite side where you do not have a tail yet. This way we start having tails on both sides of the bow to even it out visually.

Step 3

For the third set of loops, repeat the same process with your next ribbon. In our design, we are using a stripe that shares the dominant color from the busiest patterned ribbon we had at the bottom of the bow.

Step 4

In the fourth set of loops, you will repeat the same process, alternating tails so you have tails going up and down on both sides of the pegs.

Step 5

For the fifth set of loops, bring the ribbon that you used in the back and use it again in the last two loops on the front of the bow. Follow the same process, but make these loops 5.5” long.

Step 6

The sixth final set of loops will have 5.5” loops, and you will follow the same process.

Step 7

Now it’s time to take your bow off the EZ Bow Maker. Slide a cable tie right beside the dowels. Then, grab both ends of the cable tie and gently raise the bow up using the cable tie.

Keep your index finger on top of the dowels, so the bow does not pop off the bow maker.

Step 8

Tighten up cable tie where it’s closed, but not tightened completely.

While holding pressure in the center with your fingers on top and bottom of the cable tie, fluff out the loops and position them the way you would like them to appear on your finished bow.

Step 9

Slide an attachment cable tie in the back under your original cable tie. This is what we will use the attach the finished bow to your final project. Use wire here if you would like to be able to remove the bow in the future.

Step 10

Trim off the excess cable tie on the back of the bow. Choose a nice contrasting pattern from the ribbons you made the bow with. Cut it in half with your scissors. Fold the ribbon to clean up the cut edges and tie it right down the center to cover the cable tie.

This works as a great little detail to make your bow beautiful and complete-looking.

And, there you have it, y’all! Just fluff out your bow to make it look the way you want. This funky bow tutorial is simple and easy to make. You can take your bows and decorate literally anything you want!

The only limit is your imagination. If you love this tutorial, you can check out more of Kelea’s designs on her Facebook page.

FAQs

Here are a couple of questions I often see readers ask regarding making bows. If you have a question that you can’t find the answer to here, leave it in the comments so we can answer it for you.

Do I have to use an EZ Bow Maker?

While I highly recommend using the EZ Bow Maker for the ease and simplicity it provides, it’s not necessary. You could also use the Pro Bow The Hand or make your bow by hand.

How do I change the size of the bow?

If you want a smaller bow, simply make your tails and loops shorter. On the other hand, if you want to make your bow larger, make your tails longer and loops larger. The larger you make your bow, the showier it will appear.

Try Making A Funky Bow For Your Christmas Projects

We hope you enjoyed this funky bow tutorial! Feel free to scroll down and leave us a comment or share it with a friend. And don’t forget to check out some of our other Christmas designs.

If you need extra help with bow-making, wreath making, or crafting in general, be sure to check out our other tutorials on How to Make Wreaths. Share your beautiful, holiday bows with us over at the Facebook Group.

We’d love to see all your creations! If you are interested in more info on learning how to make wreaths, where to buy supplies, or being in a community of like-minded crafters, check out our Creative Coaching Subscription Group.

More Holiday Wreath And Bow Tutorials You’ll Love

Christmas Funky Bow Tutorial
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How To Make A Funky Bow For Christmas Projects

Try making this showy and funky bow to add to any (and all!) of your Christmas projects.

Instructions

  • Take your first 2.5" ribbon and make 8" tails and two 6" loops.
  • Grab your first 1.5" ribbon and make 8" tails with two 6" loops. Situate this ribbon so that the tails lie opposite of the tails in the first layer.
  • Take your 3rd ribbon and repeat the same process, offsetting the tails in the second layer.
  • For your 4th layer, take your 4th ribbon and repeat the same process. Again, offset the tails in the 3rd layer.
  • For the 5th layer, use the same ribbon that you used first and repeat the same process. This time, though, make the loops 5.5".
  • Grab your final ribbon and repeat the same process with 5.5" loops.
  • Take a cable tie and carefully wrap it around the middle of your bow as you lift the bow out of the EZ Bow Maker.
  • Tighten the cable tie (not completely) and fluff out your bow so that it looks the way you want it to.
  • Take another cable tie and slide it under the other cable tie on the back of the bow. Use this cable tie to attach the bow to your project.
  • Choose a nice contrasting pattern from the ribbons you made the bow with. Cut it in half with your scissors. Fold the ribbon to clean up the cut edges and tie it right down the center to cover the cable tie and complete your bow.

Just pin this Christmas Funky Bow tutorial to save the instructions for later!

Create Your Own Christmas Funky Bow

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