By CraftingStepByStepPublished
Based on a video by Melanie Ferguson - DIY Home Decor.
You ran out of bows. It happens every December, usually at 11pm with three presents still on the table. Melanie Ferguson of Southern Crush at Home has a fix that costs nothing: cut a few strips off the wrapping paper you already used and staple them into a star-shaped loop bow that looks like the stick-on kind from the store.
She uses buffalo check paper from Dollar Tree, a stapler and a bit of clear tape. One bow takes about ten minutes the first time and five once your hands know the fold. Because the bow is cut from the same roll as the gift, it always matches.
Standard gift wrap is fine, but the thicker the better. Thin dollar-store paper tears at the staple and the loops collapse. If yours feels flimsy, back it with a strip of printer paper or use two layers glued together. Kraft paper, old maps and sheet music all make good bows too.
Watch the print. A plaid or check reads well on the loops because the pattern follows the curve. Big pictures (Santa faces, text) get chopped into pieces you can't read. Cut your strips along the pattern lines so each loop shows the same stripe.
Paper with a white back is normal. The white side ends up on the inside of the loops and you barely see it once the bow is fluffed.
Melanie's strips are 12 inches by 1.5 inches for the outer star and 10 inches for the inner one. That gives a bow about 5 inches across, right for a shoebox-sized gift. Scale down for small boxes: 8 inch and 6 inch strips cut 1 inch wide make a neat bow for a jewelry box or gift card. For a big box, go to 16 inches by 2 inches. Keep the inner strips about 2 inches shorter than the outer ones so the layers stay distinct.
Melanie tried holding all three loops and stapling once, then switched to stapling each loop on its own first. That is the easier route, and she says so. A glue dot or hot glue works in place of staples if you want no metal showing, but you'll wait for it to set. Staples win at midnight.
The points won't hold. Crease the tip hard with a fingernail before you fold the loop over it. A soft fold springs open.
The loops are lopsided. Pinch the centre before you staple, not after. Once the staple is in, the loop is set.
The bow looks flat. Turn each layer so its points sit between the points of the layer below. Then push the centre loop down and pull the outer loops up a little.
This takes practice. Melanie made a few before it clicked, so don't judge the method on your first one.
The video also shows a bow tie style bow with tails from one 2 x 24 inch strip, and a fluffy party bow cut from a fringed sheet. Both are worth a look if the star shape isn't your style.
Stick the bow on with a loop of tape or a glue dot underneath. Melanie wraps her box in plain kraft paper and adds a band of the check paper across it, so the bow ties the whole look together. Add handmade gift tags and a few paper pom poms and the stack under the tree looks planned.
Want a bow that folds from cardstock with no stapler? Try this scored paper bow. For fabric ribbon, see how to make a ribbon bow.
9 steps · about 9 minutes.Check off each step as you go and your progress saves automatically.
Unroll the wrapping paper on a cutting mat and cut three strips, each 12 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. On a patterned paper, line your cut up with the print so each strip shows the same run of checks. It makes the loops look tidy later. A rotary cutter and ruler are quicker if you have them, but scissors do the job.
Tip
Cut from the end of a roll you already used. The scraps are the right size and the bow will match the gift.
Cut three more strips at the same 1.5 inch width, but shorter. Melanie goes with 10 inches so the two layers look clearly different. 11 inches works if you want a subtler step. Lay all six out in two rows, long and short, so you don't mix them up halfway through.
Tip
Two inches of difference between the long and short strips is the sweet spot. Less than that and the layers blur together.
Take a long strip, pattern side down. Fold one end back behind itself and pinch it into a small point, like the tip of a cone. The loop behind the point should be big enough to slip a finger into. Crease the point with a fingernail so it holds its shape.
Tip
This fold is the whole trick. Practice it on a scrap strip a couple of times before you start on the good ones.
Do the same fold on the other end of the strip, so you have a point at both ends. Bring the two loops together and pinch them in the middle. You now have a figure-8 with a sharp tip sticking out of each side. Check that both points are the same size before you move on.
Tip
If one loop comes out bigger, slide the paper through your fingers to even them up while it's still loose.
Staple the first figure-8 through its middle. Make a second one, staple it, then lay it across the first at an angle and staple the two together. Melanie tried holding all three and stapling once. Stapling each loop on its own first is much easier, and the finished bow holds together better because every loop is fixed before it joins the stack.
Tip
Push the stapler in from the side so the staple lands dead centre, where the next layer will hide it.
Fold and staple the third 12 inch strip the same way. Set it on top of the stack so its points fill the gaps between the first two. Now you have six evenly spaced points, a flowery star shape. Staple through the centre of all three. This is the outer layer of the bow, so take a second to get it even.
Tip
Turn the star over and look at it from the top before stapling. It's easy to spot an uneven gap from above.
Repeat steps 3 to 6 with the three 10 inch strips to make a smaller star. Drop it into the centre of the big star, turning it so its points sit between the big star's points. Staple the two layers together through the middle. The shorter loops stand a little taller in the centre, which gives the bow its height.
Tip
Offsetting the points is what makes it look like a store-bought bow rather than two stars stacked up.
Cut a short scrap of wrapping paper, a few inches long. Roll it into a small ring with the pattern facing out and seal it with clear tape. Fold the tape end over and stick it to the bottom of the ring so it has something to grip the bow with.
Tip
Eyeball which way you want the pattern to run before you tape. Melanie lines hers up with the checks on the star.
Press the small loop into the middle of the bow to cover the staples. Then fluff it. Pull the outer loops up a little, pinch the points sharp again, and nudge anything that got squashed. Stick it on your gift with a loop of tape or a glue dot. That's it. One bow, no trip to the store.
Tip
Keep a couple of these made up in a drawer. They store flat enough and save you on Christmas Eve.
Keep going
How to Make Paper Mache
How to Make a Wrapping Paper Bow
E6000
E6000 Craft Adhesive, Clear (3.7 oz)
The industrial-strength craft glue that bonds glass, wood, ceramic, metal, fabric, and concrete. The one adhesive most craft projects reach for.
Gorilla
Gorilla Dual-Temp Full-Size Hot Glue Gun
Dual-temp so it handles delicate florals and heavy materials alike. A precise nozzle and built-in stand make it the everyday craft-table gun.
OLFA
OLFA 18" x 24" Self-Healing Cutting Mat
The pro-standard cutting surface. Gridlines for square cuts, self-healing so blades never leave grooves, and big enough for paper, fabric, and leather.
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