Burlap Bow Garland - Somewhat Cheater Method...
by Stacy Davis
This is how I like to make my burlap bow garlands. They look great on trees, stair railings and mantels. Since we won't be putting our tree up until December, I am showing my garland on our fireplace mantel.
You need very few supplies to do this project.
I fold the rectangle in half with long sides together and sew down that side.
I turn it right side out and then tuck the ends inside. It forms a pillow of sorts.
Next, I glue this shut and add clips to hold it in place while it dries. I do the same for both ends.
For the tails, I Mod Podge the ends on one side. This will prevent them from fraying too much. The Mod Podge will dry clear and doesn't show on the finished bow. It also gives the tails the perfect amount of form and crispness to give the bow a finished look.
To assemble the bow, I lay the string across the middle and tie it tight on the back. I used a minimum of 6 inches but found going a bit longer was better if I wanted to use these strings for attaching the bows later on.
Back view... I put the bow seam side down when I add the tail to the bottom.
Front View... Now I would fold the tail in half length wise and tie to the bottom of the bow.
Here is the tail being added. I fold it in center lengthwise... I leave the strings long in the back. I use these strings to tie to the long length of jute twine that will become the base of the garland. These strings can also be used to tie your bows to the tree or to wreaths.
I think it is a timeless decor item that will be easy to store for years to come.
I am having trouble deciding on if I want to put a button in the middle of each bow (like the one on the right) and/or if I should notch the tails (like the one on the left). What do you think?
I have been playing around using different fabrics to make some more types of bows. This is using white fleece and red glitter polka dot tulle. I found them on the remnant rack at Hobby Lobby. I think for both, it was a total of $3. But beware of the glitter tulle... You know the saying, "She leaves a little glitter everywhere she goes..."? Well, that will be you with this tulle. I don't mind... but it would bother some people.
I couldn't find any ribbon to match for the middle so I just used the cut-off selvage edge from the tulle. It works. I think this would make a cute hair bow but that isn't my teen's jam. I'll probably end up putting it on a present or gift bag.
One more variation of the burlap version... Tail-less with eyelet ribbon across the middle of the bow.
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2 of 45 comments
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notch and add button would be my choice red buttons.
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I'm a little late, I would cut the tails like this / \ on each side.I have a roll of burlap and will make these. very cute idea!
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