After I posted my gift wrap ideas for the #12daysofSmock, I had a few requests for a tutorial on the big and loopy satin bow that I made for one of the gifts. Here you go, and just in time for holiday gift wrapping!
For this tutorial, I used the Satin Ribbon (Red) from Papermart. As I mentioned over on Instagram, I’ve been using their ribbon for over a decade and love it. The quality is very nice, and their prices are fantastic.
Step 1 : Wrap the ribbon around the back of the box and twist the two ends over each other, as shown above.
Step 2: Bring the two ends of the ribbon around to the front of the package and tie a knot in the center. Cut the ends using very sharp scissors (I use my sewing scissors when I’m cutting ribbon) and leave approx. 8 inch tails on either end.
Step 3: Start looping the ribbon back and forth, as shown above. The width of the loop is between one half and three quarters the the width of the box, with slightly longer tails (approx. 4 inches) on either end.
Step 4: Continue to form loops, pinching the ribbon in the middle, until there are four loops on each side. Depending in the weight of your ribbon, you may be able to add more, but with the ribbon that I’m using I’ve found that four loops on each side gives me the fullness that I’m looking for.
Step 5: Hold the bow by the pinched center and position it over the box knot. Tie the bow onto the package using the ribbon tails.
Step 6: Gently pull the loops and separate them until you’re happy with the shape and fullness of the bow.
Step 7: Cut the ends of the ribbon on the diagonal for a finished look. There isn’t a standard length that I cut them to. Sometimes I go longer (like I did here) and sometimes shorter. It’s whatever looks good to you.
Step 8: Thread a gift tag onto one of the ribbon ends to finish, no adhesive needed!
photos by Kristen Magee