Tie One On

Last night when I was wrapping some party gifts, it occurred to me how hard it can be to get a bow tied on a package so it looks juuuuuuuust right.

I learned this little trick several years ago and thought I'd share it here.

I love to use tulle (found at craft and fabric stores) because it is easy to work with and very pretty.

Also, as a rule of thumb, I use the gift I am putting the ribbon on to "measure" how much to use. I usually use 4x the longest length of the package. Sounds a little corny, but it really does work.

For the bow:
Place your ribbon around the back of your gift and cross tie it around the front one time.

Next, turn your gift in the opposite direction from where you want the bow oriented in the end. My gifts are "vertical", so I will turn the gift horizontally for the next step.

Cross tie your ribbon again to form a knot. This is one reason why I love tulle so much. You can pull it really tight and it doesn't damage or crinkle the paper. Then tie a bow. You will see below that the bow wants to lay in the opposite direction in which is was formed. Instead of laying straight it is slightly off center.

Turn your gift again so it is oriented in the direction in which you intend and straighten the bow a little and it will stay.


Fluff and primp and add a tag. I like to put my ribbon on the upper 1/3 of the gift and add the tag below for something different. For this tag I used a large 3" scallop punch and initial stickers - both from the scrapbooking section at Michael's.

Happy wrapping, y'all!