At stamp club last night, both projects involved a pesky little bow that drove a few of the ladies nuts; maybe you can relate? Are you tired of having your bows look lop-sided or you don't want to bother with punching and threading to get the "perfect" bow? Try this tip: it is based on the square knot (if you were a girl scout or have sons who were in boy scouts, you'll remember this) where the knot and bow are tied in opposite directions (as opposed to the usual granny knot where they are tied in the same direction). This makes the bow straight and securely tied; you don’t have to worry about your bow coming apart.
Start by tying a simple knot crossing the left side over the right. Using the ribbon in your right hand, form a loop; hold the base between your thumb and middle finger. Now take the length on the left and bring it around the back of the loop in your right hand and around to the front. Push that piece of ribbon against the end of your middle finger with the thumb of your left hand, feeding a loop through the hole where your middle finger was showing. Grab the “new” loop with your thumb and middle finger of your right hand and grab the first loop with the thumb and index finger of your left hand and pull in opposite directions. Then, you can adjust the size of your bow by pulling on the loops and tails until it gets to the desired size.
You can also practice this technique on a small travel size spray bottle or a bottle of Stampin' Mist until you get the hang of it! Have fun!
If you are interested in learning more stamping and scrapbooking techniques, my monthly technique classes are for you!
Anne Brown The Stamp Maven anne@stampmaven.com Stampin' Up! Demonstrator 972-234-9118
