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A giant Christmas door bow on your front door is the perfect way to make a statement this holiday season! You could go for a traditional Christmas wreath. Wreaths are fantastic, but not only will a door bow make your home look festive and inviting it will also show your guests that you went the extra mile to decorate.
I was looking for a fancy big red bow to buy, but I wasn’t impressed with the selection. So I wondered how to make a bow. I found this DIY video by the wonderful Stuart from the Woolpatch in the UK. Here is the step-by-step guide.
How To Make A Door Bow – Two Options
You have a choice of which style of bow you might make. The first is a traditional single bow in the style of the beautiful Miss Minnie Mouse. The second is a Rosette style, made with two bows of different sizes.
Both bow options are shown in the same video. Watch it and see what you think!
Traditional “Minnie Mouse” Bow Option
You’ll Need
- An empty table or counter to work on
- Old cardboard
- Masking tape (if needed)
- 9 feet (2.75 metres) of 60-inch-wide dress netting, tulle, or organza. It will probably arrive folded. Don’t bother unfolding it.
- Scissors
- Red zip ties (cable ties)
- Diamante ribbon or red ribbon
Step-By-Step Instructions
Prepare Your Ribbon
- To make a template for wrapping your ribbon, cut your cardboard 23 inches long and 15 inches wide. If you’re using smaller pieces of cardboard, tape them together with your masking tape.
- Cut out a square on each side of the long end. Measurements aren’t required for these; they are only for you to be able to grip the ribbon later on. You’re going to wind the fabric around the template.
- Fold your netting fabric in half.
- Place one end of the fabric just over halfway up the template.
- Now wind the fabric around the template longways.
- When you finish wrapping the fabric, the end should be just over halfway going downwards, that is, it should be overlapping the first end.
Form The Bow
- Scrunch the fabric.
- Place one hand in one of the cutouts and hold the fabric as you slide it off the template.
- Tie the middle tightly with a zip tie.
- Fluff up the fabric.
- Check that the zip tie is in the center.
- Cut the excess zip tie off.
Decorate The Bow
- If you’re using diamante ribbon snip the ribbon so that it will hook over the zip tie.
- Wrap the diamante ribbon around the front.
- Pull it tight and hold it over the zip tie to decide where to snip it.
- Snip the diamante ribbon and hook it over the zip tie.
- If you’re using the red ribbon, tie it around the middle.
- Turn the bow over to the wrong side.
- Slide another zip tie under the first zip tie but do not fasten it.
- This is how it will be attached to the door.
Rosette Bow Option
You’ll Need
- An empty table or counter to work on
- 9 feet (2.75 metres) of 60 inch-wide dress netting, tulle or organza. It will probably arrive folded from the store. Don’t bother unfolding it.
- Scissors
- Red zip ties (cable ties)
- Diamante ribbon or red ribbon
Step-By-Step Instructions
Cut The Fabric
Cut the 9 feet (2.75 metres) up into two pieces:
- 6.5 feet (2 metres) for the larger bow
- 2.5 feet (0.75 metres) for the smaller bow
Create Your Larger Bow
- Your ribbon will probably already be folded once; if not, fold it.
- Fold it again sideways.
- Fold long ways to the middle from one end. Fold to the middle from the other end.
- Ensure you have an overlap in the middle of about 6 inches.
- Using both hands, grab each side of the fabric.
- Gather up bits of fabric by scrunching.
- Holding the scrunch, slide the fabric around and scrunch the other end.
- Use a zip tie to secure the middle and twist the zip tie knot to the back of the bow.
- Cut the tail off the zip tie.
- That’s the larger bow done.
Create Your Smaller Bow
- Take the other piece of fabric and turn it around so the folded edges are on the right.
- Fold into the middle, half and half, then fold the whole thing in half.
- Folding half longways.
- The raw edges will be at the bottom of the bow and the fold will be at the top.
- Just as you did with the bigger bow, take the fabric in both hands and scrunch five times to the end of the fabric.
- Holding the scrunch, slide the fabric around, and do the other end.
- Use a zip tie to secure it.
- Move the notch of the zip tie to the back of the bow.
- Cut off the tail of the zip tie, leaving a spike for your diamante ribbon.
Decorate The Bow
- If you’re using diamante ribbon snip the ribbon said that it will hook over the zip tie.
- Wrap the diamante ribbon around the front.
- Pull it tight and hold it over the zip tie to decide where to snip it.
- Snip the diamante ribbon and hook it over the zip tie.
- If you’re using the red ribbon, tie it around the middle.
Attach The Two Bows Together
- Slide a zip tie under the zip tie on the back side of the smaller bow.
- Don’t fasten it yet.
- Slide that same zip tie under the zip tie of the larger bow.
- Do this on the front side.
- Fasten the zip tie tightly and cut off the tail.
- Now your rosette is ready to be attached to the door.
How To Put Up A Door Bow
Now for the exciting part….
You’ll Need
- 33 feet (10 metres) of Red Dress Netting or Tulle or Organza. · It will probably arrive folded. Don’t bother unfolding it.
- 4 Red zip ties (this makes it easier and quicker)
- Ribbon/Organza for embellishments
- Scissors
Step-By-Step Instructions
Cut The Fabric
Cut the 33 feet (10 metres) up into the following:
- 16.5 feet (5 metres) for the Uppy-Downy (vertical piece)
- 8.25 (2.5 metres) for the Lefty-Righty (horizontal piece)
- 6.5 feet (2 metres) for bigger bow
- 1.75 feet (0.5 of a metre) for smaller bow
Put The Vertical Ribbon Up
- Put the uppy-downy over the top of the door with most of it flowing down the back.
- Slide the bottom under the door from the back to the front.
- Pull the bottom ribbon up at the front.
- Using both hands, wiggle the ribbon to ensure it’s in the center.
- Also, you should have an overlap of equal sizes.
- Tie the ribbon once using the overlap sections just like you would tie a shoelace.
- Hold it in place with one hand and retrieve a zip tie.
- Tie the zip tie.
- Tighten the ribbon.
- Tighten the zip tie.
- The flaps from the overlaps will still be there; leave them because they will add to the texture. Also, they’ll be handy next time you want to put your door bow up.
- Cut the tail off the zip tie. Decide where you want to position the bow and slide the ribbon up or down. You can have the ribbon 1/3 of the way down, halfway down, or at eye level; whatever you like.
Put The Horizontal Ribbon Up
- The lefty-righty needs to be threaded through the hinge side of the door. Make sure there isn’t any grease or dirt that might soil your ribbon.
- Open your door as wide as possible to get the maximum gap and you should be able to get the fabric through.
- Pull the ribbon through and around so you’re facing the front door with one ribbon end in each hand.
- Leave the overlap sections as part of the front ribbon because this adds texture.
- Tie the lefty-righty once, like a shoelace, and retrieve your zip tie.
- Wrap the zip tie around all of the ribbons.
- Pull the ribbon tight.
- Pull the zip tie tight.
- Cut the tail of the zip tie off.
Adding The Bow
- Retrieve your bow and a zip tie. It will be tied to the uppy-downy ribbon, just above all the knots.
- Wrap the zip tie around the ribbon, holding it above the knot.
- Join the zip tie and slide the bow down into position and tighten the ribbon.
- Tighten the zip tie.
- Carefully cut the tail off the zip tie.
- You could add some ribbon, baubles, or whatever you like.
- Close the door.
- You could place a ribbon into the back section just to hold it all in place (or not).
- Wrap the ribbon around a couple of times to make sure you gather all the strands and tie it at the same point as the bow. Leave the ribbon hanging.
Now take a photo of your fabulous door!
Other Ideas For Bows On Doors
Now that you know how to make a giant bow for your front door, it’s time to get creative! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Use different colors of ribbon for a festive look.
- Add some greenery, flowers, or other organic details to the center of your bow for a natural touch.
- Use a patterned or plaid ribbon for a unique twist.
- This idea could be used for all sorts of celebrations.
- For Halloween, use black and orange, and fitting embellishments for the bow.
- For a birthday or anniversary celebration, use a favorite color, plus a “Happy Birthday” or “Happy Anniversary” pin for your bow.
Conclusion
Making a statement doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. With a little bit of creativity, you can make a big impact with something as simple as a giant bow.
So don’t be afraid to show off your personality and style. Your home is unique, so why not reflect that with some fun and festive decorations?