Ribbons and Bows

As soon as I found out that my first baby was a girl, I set right to work making hair bows for her. Mostly because, I am in Texas, and little girls in Texas just wear bows. It's part of the culture. Also because I took one look at "boutique bow" prices and ran away as fast as I could! Buying bows hat run between $4 and $12 each was going to get very expensive. After all, this girl had a lot of outfits in her closet and we needed a bow to match perfectly with each and every one! (Sounds just like a first time mom, eh?)

So I started to make bows, but in all truthfulness, they didn't look that great. It took me a lot of time and practice before I finally made a bow that I actually liked enough to put on her in public. When I say a lot of time, I am talking about 6 months to a year here, not a few hours. I made about 50 ugly bows before I finally got the hang of it. I say this because every time someone asks me about making bows, they are frustrated that theirs are not turning out very well. Take heart girls! You are not alone! Keep practicing, you'll get it eventually.

No, I am not going to leave it at those choice words of encouragement. I know, you really would rather I just explain to you step by step how to make a good looking bow today, and not after 6 months of practice. So, here is the link to the best video tutorial that I have been able to find on the step by step of a basic bow (thanks again Pinterest...did I mention that I love Pinterest?). This is the first of many bow making tutorials that this blogger has. So wonderful!

Now, the point of this whole post is to show you how to make cute, curly, corker ribbons to use in hair bows and pony-o's. They can also be used to sew onto a dress (like on an applique) to add some fun. If you use the right ribbon and follow these steps, they will not come uncurled when washed! Bows are also rain/sprinkler safe, no ribbons uncurled!

Before you begin, you will need: wooden dowel rods cut to fit the length of a baking sheet (I got mine pre-cut in a package in the cake decorating isle at my Hobby Lobby), wooden clothespins, spray starch, a spray bottle of tap water, baking sheet lined with foil, your oven, and ribbon. I have found that the best ribbon for this is 3/8" grosgrain. It seems to hold up better than satin or organza and is a really good size for curling. I have also seen 1/4" grosgrain and it works too, but personally, I like the look of the 3/8" better.

First, preheat your oven to 300 degrees and line your baking sheet with foil. Then, clip the loose end of your ribbon (still on the spool, don't cut a length of it) to the very top of a dowel rod with a clothespin.

Begin twisting the dowel rod around so that the ribbon spirals down the dowel. Be sure not to overlap the ribbon or leave large gaps between rows. Wrap it all the way to the bottom of the dowel rod, then cut the ribbon and secure the end with another clothespin.

Repeat this with as many colors as you want and lay your dowel rods on the baking sheet. Don't let them overlap, usually I can fit about 6 dowels at the most on my baking sheet.

Spray them until they are damp on both sides with the water, then lightly coat both sides with a spray of starch. You don't have to load it on, just a little bit works well. Put your baking sheet in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, then take them out and let them cool on the tray.

When they are cooled, remove the clothespins and gently slide the curled ribbons off of the dowels. Now they are ready to make into bows or use in sewing projects! You can cut them apart into little pieces or leave them long, but be sure to heat seal the ends of the ribbons (like usual) along each raw edge. They should stay nice and curly! 

I used corker ribbons to make this cute flip flop dress and matching bow for my little girl! Easy applique on a cotton tank dress (from Hobby Lobby for $7). I'd love to see what you make!