ribbon, ribbon, ribbon
My dad went to an all-boys boarding school growing up right before moving to America in his early adolescence. He has retained some qualities that of a perfectionist, and luckily for me, I have those qualities too {sarcasm intended}. He likes his trousers ironed a certain way with a pleat right down the middle, his newspaper always looks neat and perfect after reading and not a hot mess of pages and frustration. One thing I remember fondly of when I was younger was his ability to make ordinary wrapped gifts look extraordinary. Bit of a bizarre quirk for a man I guess? But his ability to create bows from ribbon and draw vine-like flowers with a red ball point was beyond me. This bow was one of the few types he had up his sleeve and often included it on very special presents. You will need: 3 lengths of ribbons, I would just eyeball them depending on the size of your gift. They can be different colors too if you would like but make sure they’re complimenting colors. Also, a pair of scissors. Finally, all {or most} of your fingers. Now it looks complicated, but it actually isn’t too bad and it’s well worth the fuss, trust me!
starting off
Take the longest piece of ribbon and just about 4-inches down, create a twist {fig. 1}. Pinch the twist with your thumb and index finger, go 4-inches down again and tuck that twist into your thumb and index finger too. You should create a loop at this point {fig. 2}. Go 4-inches down the ribbon again and twist, but this time loop it from the opposite direction of the first loop you created {fig. 3}. It should look like a bit like a normal bow with a loop at each end.
continuing on…
Continue to go down the ribbon creating twists, tucking into your pinched thumb and index finger, and looping in alternating directions. Just make sure you have at least 4-inches of free-ribbon available at the ends. Also, be sure to keep your thumb and index finger pinched the entire time! By the way, this beautiful scented alphabet candle from Next makes the perfect gift for a girlfriend for Valentine’s day!
finishing touch
Once you’re done “pinching-and-looping,” wrap one end of the ribbon around the center, twice and tie a knot with the two loose ends. Do this slowly, so your pinch doesn’t loosen and your ribbon doesn’t unravel.
the second ribbon
The second ribbon should be a long one too. Enough to wrap around your gift 2.5 times. Start by placing the gift box facing down in the middle of the ribbon. Cross the ends of the ribbon, twist so the ribbons cover the alternating sides of the box. Turn the gift over and tie a standard double knot. You should have some end bits left of the ribbon.
to top it off
Place the bow in the middle of the box where the double-knot is. Take the end bits of the ribbon from the second ribbon on the box and tie a knot around the center of the bow. It will come together as you do this. Arrange the loops and make sure they’re not folded on the edges and trim the ends so they’re about the same length as the loops from the bow. Et voila!
