You could start with the wider ribbon for the bottom layer, but today we’re doing it a little different. The reason is we want this 2.5″ green with Shamrocks wired ribbon right in the middle because we want this to be very up close and center. We don’t want it to disappear.

Let’s go ahead and start with this beautiful 1/2″ plaid pattern. The plaid is not too heavy, it’s not competing with the black and white checkered ribbon.

We’re going to go ahead and give it a nice accordion pinch, where we’ve measured off a nice tail. We’re going to have a nice 6″ tail right here. With a hand bow, you’re going to use your fingers as your pegs that we would normally use on an EZ Bowmaker.

Next, give it a nice firm twist right up against your fingers. The twist is because we want the pattern of the beautiful ribbon to show. As you twist it the pattern is always going to stay on the outside so you’re always going to see the pretty part.

Next, you’re going to use the top of your fingers to give it another nice firm twist. Y’all are just holding the layers of ribbon firmly. You’re not choking the ribbon, you’re just letting it work as the pegs just to kind of hold everything in place.

Go ahead and give it a nice accordion pinch to complete another loop. Keep your loops kind of fluffed out so you can see the bow being built right in your hands.

Make sure the loops are about even. Leave about a 12″ inch” tail and trim from the ribbon spool. In this bow style, we like the longer tail to be down towards the bottom and the shorter one to be up towards the top.

The next thing you’re gonna do is build the next layer right on top with this beautiful double sided checkered ribbon. You’ll repeat the same process as earlier, but create slightly smaller loops each time.

The heart of this bow is the 2.5″ Shamrock ribbon. Now, remember we’re gonna create smaller loops every time. Make sure that the ribbon is nice and flat and the wires are not tucked in. To do that, give the ribbon a nice flat curl and twist.

Next, you’re going to come in with the 1.5″ Swiss dot ribbon repeating the same process with 1 loop on each side.

And last but not least, add one little loop with your 7/8″ ribbon to create a center. This loop will be about half the size of your previous loop.

Use a pipe cleaner to secure all those luscious layers together. Flip it upside down and give that pipe cleaner a nice twist, twist, twist. Wrap that pipe cleaner around the bow one more time for extra security and twist again. Trim any excess pipe cleaner tails.

This last step is very important. It’s all about finding your windows in between the loops. It’s all about building that X pattern so we can see everything.

Cut your tails by folding the ribbon in half and cutting at a little angle. These are called dovetails.

The higher level tails you can cut a little shorter and then as we go in and trim each one of these tails, make them a smidge bit longer. So, just a little bit longer each layer.