Have you ever used a pull bow enhance your design? Have you ever wished you could make it bigger and better? Well look no further! In this Balloon Basics Blog, you can learn how to create larger, fuller and bespoke Pom Pom Bows with Doctor Bob!

Pom Pom Bows are perfect for adorning hampers, stuffing balloons and pew ends as well as making useful balloon weights. What’s more, with Christmas on the horizon, they can even be used for large, ‘awkward to wrap’ presents such as cars and bicycles!

Use this step-by-step guide to create bows in up to 4 colours. Once you’ve mastered the steps, just vary the colours and number of colours for infinite possibilities.

What you’ll need:
– Florist ribbon
-Sharp pair of Scissors
–5mm Curling Ribbon (optional)

Step 1) Measure out the florist ribbon. Each colour (even if you’re doing just one) needs to be measured at 3.5 x arm’s length. Doctor Bob demonstrates an ‘arm’s length’ in the image below!

Step 2) Gather the ends of the ribbon together and line them up, ensuring the ribbon is not twisted. Fold approx. 1.5″ of the ends over and create a crease with your nail.

Step 3) Create a flat roll! This roll length will depend on the diameter of the finished bow. For a 2 colour bow, Doctor Bob tends to use his wrist as a guide and measures just beyond this. As you roll up the ribbon, gently tap the sides to keep it in line as you go.

Step 4) Take one end of the flat roll, ensure the sides are lined up, and make two cuts about 1.5″ down the ribbon, leaving a 5mm gap in the middle, as per the image below.

Step 5) Repeat this with the other end of the flat roll.

Step 6) Take a length of florist ribbon (approximately 18″) and split it vertically so it’s approx. 1cm wide. Alternatively, you could use a length of 5 mm Curling Ribbon. Bring both thin ends of the ‘ribbon roll’ to the middle to create two loops each side and tie it together tightly. The tighter the tie, the stronger the bow!

Step 7) Hold the ribbon so that the middle is between your fingers and you have a hand free. Use this free hand to pull the middle loop of ribbon towards you and twist it to create a crease.

Step 8) Repeat this with one of each colour that you have used, then swap hands. For example, if you used 2, 3 or 4 colours, you would twist each colour once).

Repeat steps 7 and 8 with your other hand.

Step 9) Keep twisting and swapping hands until all loops are twisted.

Step 10) Turn the bow and repeat steps 7-9 with the other loops.

Step 11) Flip the bow again and take the thin ribbon you used to tie in your hand. Give the bow a good old shake out! Tweak each loop as you see fit.

And there you have it; a beautiful big bow. Remember, practise makes perfect!

Happy bow making ?

Aimee

As always, you can get in touch with us by commenting below, sending us an email or commenting on Facebook and Twitter. If you would like to receive these weekly video updates, you can either keeping checking this blog, subscribe to email updates in your account settings or you can subscribe to our Youtube channel.