How to Make a Fabric Bow

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Materials Needed:

2 – 3”x6” fabric1 – 1”x3” fabric (will be the middle piece)
Scissors
Pencil/Chopstick/Something pointy to shape corners

 

Make sure you know the right side of your fabric from the wrong side of your fabric.

Take the right side of both pieces of fabric and put them together. Make sure all four edges are as even as possible.

Next, sew a straight line on each edge until you reach the beginning stitch. This will create a rectangle on your fabric. Make sure there is no space on the corners between the stitches.

Once you have finished sewing, the wrong side of the fabric should show on each side.

 

Pull the fabric apart to make sure each side has been securely stitched.

Next, hold the rectangle with the longest sides facing vertically. Fold the fabric in half (hamburger style).

 

If you need to, mark the exact middle of the fabric with a pencil.

 

Pull both sides of the fabric apart and away from each other. It is important that the sides of the fabric do not touch for this next part.

Make an incision where you marked your middle. Make sure you are only cutting one side of the fabric. Also, make sure you do not cut too much fabric. The more you cut, the more you will need to hide later.

Next, push your fabric up through the incision as neatly as possible. Eventually the right side of the fabric will be on the outside. (See pictures)

 

Once the right side of your fabric is on the outside, use your pencil, chopstick, or other pointed object to shape your corners. I find the chopstick works best because it does not mark your fabric or potentially stab you like scissors can.

Once you have shaped your corners, your fabric should look like this in the front:

And like this in the back:

 Hold the piece of fabric with the incision facing you. Fold the fabric down (hotdog style) toward you. The incision will be in the fold.

With your fabric folded in half like so (open end facing upward):

Pinch the middle bottom of the fabric:

Fold one side of the fabric back on itself until it is even with the middle part you are pinching.

Once it is folded, it should look like this:

Turn the fabric around as seen in the next picture.

 

Now fold the other edge of the fabric down.

Your fabric will look like an accordion:

Next, find the middle of the fabric while you are holding it lengthwise horizontally. Place the fabric in the sewing machine (see the picture below) and sew a straight line.  

When you open the sides of the fabric, you can see the bow shape, BUT we still need to add something to hide our stitches in the middle of the bow.  

Grab your smaller piece of fabric.

 

Fold both edges to the back. This will create a straight, clean edge in your fabric.

 

 For the best results, iron the fabric while it is folded to avoid unraveling.

Place the middle of the smaller piece of fabric in the middle of the front side of your bow.

 

Wrap your smaller piece of fabric around the front of the bow and bring both ends together in the back.

 

Sew the ends together “trapping” the bow in place. I find it helpful to stitch the ends to the edge of the back of the bow to keep it from “rolling” around the bow. See the tips at the end of this tutorial for other options if you plan to add a clip of some kind (alligator clip, bobby pin, etc).

 

 

Cut the excess off the ends of the middle piece.

And now your fabulous fabric bow is complete! See below for extra tips.  

 

 

 

Tips:

1. Before you fold the bow, add thick felt inside the incision of the fabric while it is right side out to create a sturdier shape in the bow.

2. You can make your middle piece bigger or smaller, but the bigger it is, the more flaws you are able to hide.

3. You can glue the middle section down later after you have attached an alligator clip or glued the entire bow to a surface. You do not need to sew it directly to the fabric.

 

Make sure to leave any questions or comments in the Comments section below! Thanks!!