How To Tie A Perfect Bow

Last Updated on February 26, 2013 by Kristi Linauer

Good morning, all! Well, today I’m getting down to basics. I mean, really basic here.  I want to show you how to tie a perfect bow.

This might seem like it’s coming out of left field, but I promise, it isn’t.  Yesterday as I was browsing different blogs, I came across a wonderful project on a blog.  Everything about the project was fantastic…that is, everything except the bow, which was all caddywhompus, and very distracting.

Then last night, I was looking through my photos (trying to figure out how in the world to organize and store my ever-growing files of pictures), and I came across the pictures of the chair that I reupholstered for John & Alice’s bedroom.  I realized that that chair is the exact type of project that could be absolutely ruined by a less-than-perfect bow.

The fact is, bows aren’t just for little girls’ hair.  If you’re a crafter, a seamstress, and/or a DIYer, chances are that you’ll need to tie a bow at one time or another, and the bow will affect the look of your whole project.

Have you ever tried to tie a beautiful bow, and it turns out like this?

Yep, that’s very common.  And no matter how much you tug and pull on that thing, there’s no way it’s ever going to line up straight and look perfect.

There’s one simple step you can take to avoid a cockeyed bow like that, and to make your bow perfectly straight.  Here’s how to tie a perfect bow…

First, start just like any other bow by tying the first knot.

Then make the loop with one side.  Now here is where you make or break your perfect bow.  Look at the direction that the other side is coming out of the first knot that you tied.  Is it coming out of the bottom, as pictured below?

If it’s coming out of the bottom, then you absolutely must wrap it around the bottom of the loop.

After you tuck it through to make the second loop, keep everything loose at first until you can get everything lined up straight.

Then pull tight, adjust a bit more, and you have a perfect bow.

In the bow above, the non-looped end was coming out the bottom of the first knot.  So in this next example, let’s look at it coming out the top of the first knot.

If the non-looped end comes out of the top of the first knot, then it must be wrapped around the top of the first loop.

The key is in keeping the direction of the non-looped end consistent.  If it’s coming out of the bottom of the first knot, then wrap it around the bottom of the first loop.  If it’s coming out of the top of the first knot, then wrap it around the top of the first loop.  Follow this simple rule, and you’ll get a perfect bow each time.

Do just the opposite, and you’ll wind up with this frustration…