Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Boxes & Bows . . . The Bow Part

After making my totally cute Christmas box, I was left with some scraps.  What to do, what to do . . .  How about I make a bow!  It is super easy and super cute! 

Start by cutting the scraps into the following amounts and sizes:
This part of the process is extremely flexible.  Need a bigger bow?  Increase the inches.  Need a smaller box?  Take a guess . . . yep, decrease the inches!

Starting with the longest strips, loop the paper like this:
Next, using your paper piercer, poke through both layers of the paper.  The location of the whole does not have to be precise.  Continue this process with all pieces of paper.
Take four of the 6 inch strips and connect them in the shape of an "X" using a brad.  I like to use my "crappy" brads for this.  The look of the brad does not matter as you will never see them.
Here's the view from the top:
Continue this process until all strips are connected.
To give your bow a little more depth, try switching the direction of your loop on the 5 inch and 4 inch pieces.
Now, grab your trusty glue gun!  The consultant that taught me how to make these bows used pop dots, but I find that hot glue works better.  Put a glob of glue in the center of the first 6 inch X and stick the second 6 inch X on top.
Repeat the process using the 5 inch X, 4.5 inch X, and 4 inch X.  As you adhere the pieces, you will want to rotate the angles so the the legs of one X is in the split of the X below it.  The picture above is good example of what I'm talking about.

As you are attaching your pieces, you may find yourself thinking, "This looks weird.  I must be doing it wrong."  Do not fret.  I promise, in the end, it will all come together!
We're not done yet!  You should have a remaining piece around 1 inch by 1.5 inches.  Take it, and attach the ends to make a tube.
This little fella goes in the center of the bow to hide the brad.
Viola!  You now have a beautiful, handmade bow!  The possibilities really are endless.  Notice the size differences between the three bows.  The left bow was made using 6, 5, 4.5, and 4 inch strips.  The middle bow was made using just the 5, 4.5, and 4 inch strips.  The bow on the right was made using 4.5, 4, and 3 inch strips.  Notice the difference not only in the size but in the tightness of the loops.  The bow on the right is definitely more difficult as there is less paper with which to make the loops.
So, what types of bows will you make with your scraps?!





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