How to Make a Bow for a Christmas Tree Topper

Co-authored by Amy Guerrero

Last Updated: December 4, 2024 Approved

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Why buy a cheap tree topper from a store when you can make your very own beautiful bow to grace your Christmas tree? You don't need to be an artist to make a festive bow. Bring Christmas cheer to your entire family by placing an awesome bow of your creation on top of the tree.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Making a Big Bow

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1
Make a loop. Pull 6 inches (15 cm) of wired ribbon from your spool and pinch it tightly between the thumb and forefinger of your left hand. Pull some more ribbon from your spool with your right hand and form a loop. Meet your hands together and scrunch the bottom of your loop with the rest of the pinched ribbon between the fingers of your left hand. Twist the pinched ribbon in your left hand to secure the loop.^{[1]
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- The size of your loops will depend on the size of your tree. For large trees, your loops should be 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm) long which means you'll need to pull at least 20 inches (51 cm) of ribbon to form each loop.
- Use wired ribbon. Wired ribbon will hold the shape you put it in while other ribbon will go limp.
- Most ribbon is one sided. Twist your ribbon so that the decorated side will be on the outside of your next loop.
2
Make a figure eight. Pull more ribbon from your spool with your right hand. Form a loop that is in the opposite direction from your first loop. Add the bottom of your second loop to the pinched ribbon in our left hand and twist it clockwise to hold it in place. Your first two loops should form the shape of an eight.^{[2]
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- Make sure your second loop is the same size as the first. You want all your loops to be uniform.
- At this point you can hold your loops against your tree to make sure your bow will be the right size for it.
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3
Fill out your bow. Continue making alternating loops until you feel like your bow is complete. Ten loops should be adequate for an elaborate bow, but you can make less or more depending on your personal preference.
- Remember to pinch and twist the bottom of each loop tightly. You should have the bottoms of all the loops in your bow scrunched up between the thumb and forefinger of your left hand.
- The decorated side of the ribbon should be on the outside of each one of your loops.
After you've made all your loops, make one final loop perpendicular to the rest. Pinch the bottom of it in your left hand and twist it just like you've done with all the other loops.
5
Fasten your loops together. Mold a piece of floral stem wire into a “u” shape. Insert the loose ends into your central loop and bend them around the bottom part of your bow. Pull the loose ends through the “u” part of the wire. Pull the loose ends in opposite directions to make a tight knot. Twist the ends of the wire several times to make sure they are securely fastened. Take another piece of floral wire and use the same method to fasten your bow to the top of your Christmas tree.
- Floral stem wire comes in a green, silver or white. Make sure to pick the best color to match your bow.
- The lower the gauge of floral wire, the thicker and less moldable it is. Twenty-six gauge floral stem wire is recommended for fastening bows.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Making the Streamers

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1
Cut some ribbon. Measure at least four lengths of wired ribbon and cut them off from your spool. These will be your streamers. Decide which end is the bottom of one streamer and fold the sides in half from the inside. Use scissors to make a diagonal cut at the bottom of your streamers from the outside to the inside. When you unfold your streamer, you should have a nice finish to the bottom of it. Repeat this method with all of your streamers.
- The length of your streamers depends on the size of your tree. They should be as long as the entire length of your tree.^{[3]
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- You can make as many streamers as you want, but your tree may look cluttered if there are too many.
2
Fasten your streamers to your tree. Take a piece of floral stem wire and wrap it around the top of one of your streamers. Make sure it's secure by pulling the excess wire in opposite directions. Use the excess wire to fasten the streamer to a branch on your Christmas tree under your bow. Twist the floral wire tightly around the tree branch so that it stays in place. Repeat this method to tie the rest of your streamers to the tree.
- Make sure you hide the tops of the streamers under your bow. You want it look like your streamers are connected to the bow.
3
Make waves. Give your streamers the illusion of movement by placing a paper towel roll under the ribbon and smoothing the rest of the tail under it. Be sure to use smooth movements when you're creating your waves. Make as many waves as you feel is necessary in your streamers.
- Don't press or pinch your streamers while you're making waves. Unnecessary prodding can put unwanted ripples in your streamers that can keep your waves from standing out.
- Don't overdo it. Too many waves can make your streamers look stiff.
4
Secure the rest of your streamers in place. Weave your streamers into your tree. Strategically fold branches around your streamers to hold them in place around your Christmas tree. Try to fold at least three branches around each streamer. Make sure the folds are spread out along the length of the streamers.
- Don't fold too many branches around your streamers or they'll look cluttered.

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Question

How long have people been using tree toppers and why?

Community Answer

Tree toppers are said to date back to the 16th century. The angel represents the angel Gabriel, who told Mary about the birth of Jesus and the star represents the star of Bethlehem.

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Tips

You can spruce up your bow by adding bells, dried fruits and glitter or by layering different color bows on top of it.

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Make sure your streamers are the right size for your tree. A yard and a half should be an adequate length for a normal size tree.

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Always use wired ribbon if you want your bow to hold its shape.

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Warning

Make sure to pinch the center of your bow tightly the entire time you are making your bow or it could fall apart.
Your streamers will shrink as you add waves to them. You can make them a bit longer to start with to account for the loss in length.