How to Make a Big, Splashy Bow

Here's Penelope, all finished!

I thought I'd offer a little how-to on making those big bows. This isn't the only method, of course, but this is quick and easy... and on most stuff, I'm all about quick and easy! 

First, thread a needle with 2 strands of floss (or sewing thread) and tie a knot in the end. For this purpose, I use the old-fashioned knot-making method of wetting my finger, wrapping the floss around the tip of my finger a few times, then sliding it off into a fat knot. It's definitely not the tidiest knot, but... quick and easy! (Also, it gives the glue something to stick to apart from that smooth ribbon.)

Using however many colors of 1/8" ribbon you like, make loops and secure them on the needle, leaving the tails a little long so you can trim them later. Now, you can make all the loops the same size, but I like to just make them any old way. I do this because to my eye, a slightly sloppy, "splashy" bow is a nice contrast to the precision of the stitching. Remember as you're making loops that you're working from the bottom of the bow to the top, so you might want to make your first loops a bit larger, and make them a bit smaller as you go. Also, odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye than even, so instead of making four or six loops, make five or seven, or however many you need to make the bow the size you want.

When you have the bow like you want it, pull the floss through the bow until the knot is at the back, and put a couple of stitches through the center of the bow to secure it.

To finish off the bow, you can sew a bead or a button onto the center, but here I just tied a small bow and glued it to the center.

And here's the finished big, splashy bow!

Not perfect... but festive!