Our Spike Bow Tutorial helps you create a unique bow that can be festive for the holidays or made to match any outfit. The technique is simple and easy to achieve. Read more to check out the awesome instructions.
Hello! It’s Brynde again from The Ribbon Retreat. Today I will be sharing my Spike Bow Tutorial!
The supplies I used are listed below. The Ribbon Retreat carries most everything
needed to make these bows.
7/8” Grosgrain Ribbon
3/8” & ¼” Coordinating Grosgrain Ribbon
6mm Rhinestone (optional)
Needle
Thread
Hair Clip
Hi-Temp Hot Glue Gun
Scissors
Lighter
I like to cut my 7/8” ribbon strips to 3 ¾” for a 3 ½” finished bow. I used 4 ½” of 3/
8” ribbon to cover my Regular Double Prong Alligator Clip. And approximately 3”
of ¼” ribbon for my center.
For this Turkey Bow, I used 7/8”: Turkey Tom, Offray Jungle Green, Cranberry, Yellow Gold and Mango Tango. Mango Tango was also used for the 3/8” and ¼” coordinating
ribbon.
Once your ribbon strips are cut, start by folding the ribbon in half length wise. Cut
the ribbon at an angle, so when you open the fold you have a V-cut.
Seal the ends of your ribbon using your preferred method. I like using a lighter
the best. I hold a few in my hand to save time.
I like to lay my ribbon out in the pattern I’m going to place it on the needle. I use 3
printed ribbons and then coordinating colors. I find 7 strips work really well.
Thread your needle. Tie at least 2 knots in the end so it won’t slip through your
needle hole. Pinch your ribbon in half, length wise and so the opening is towards
you. Bring the needle up from bottom to top. Also, bring the needle up through
the ribbon edges closest to you. Do this with all the 7/8” ribbon strips. Leave the
ribbon on the needle until you have all the ribbons on.
Once you have all the ribbons on, firmly hold one side of the bow. Bring your
needle all the way through and wrap the center a couple times.
As you wrap, your bow will start to take shape. At this point, you can form the
bow as you wish. Then wrap a few more times to secure and take a couple
stitches in the back.
I like my printed ribbons on top and bottom. Then an “X” in the front, and 3
ribbons on the back. It’s almost a “two-layer” bow when it’s finished.
Line your hair clip, and glue on to the back of the bow. Don’t forget to seal your
ribbon ends on the clip!
Open the clip and put a dab of glue in the center. Attach one end of the ¼” ribbon
getting ready to wrap it around the center of the bow. I like to let the hot glue dry
a second before I start wrapping it around.
Wrap the ¼” ribbon around the front, and add another dab of glue to your clip.
Once the ribbon is glued, trim the excess ribbon and seal the cut.
There you have a Spike Bow!! It’s perfectly cute as it is…
But I like to “bling it up” with a 6mm Rhinestone. They are the perfect size for ¼”
ribbon and add that extra little sparkle to the bow. Now your little one is ready for
Thanksgiving Dinner!
I also like to make these Spike Bows with a printed ribbon and 2 coordinating
colors. That way you have more of that color upfront in the “X”.
For this Peppermint Bow, I used 7/8”: Christmas Candy, Red, and Emerald.
Emerald was also used for the 3/8” and ¼” coordinating ribbon.
There you have it! Fun Spike Bows perfect for girls of all ages. Make some mini
ones out of a smaller ribbon width. The Ribbon Retreat has so many fun Holiday
ribbons! And we have so many fun Holidays coming up! The ribbon combinations
are endless. Happy bow making!
Until next time,
-Brynde
Thank you Brynde for this super cute Spike Bow Tutorial! These bows are so adorable and easy to make that you can whip one up for the upcoming holidays and even make some for friends. These would also be great to add to your shop if you have one. 🙂
We have tons of printed ribbons and so much more to make these bows super cute. Check out our Printed Ribbons to see more.
And if you don’t need to make any, but HAVE to have this bow, check out all the fun bows Brynde has at Simple Design Bows!
If you are interested in sharing your crafts or bow making skills, we are searching for crafty contributors. If you’re a craft blogger or bow maker who’d like to submit a tutorial of your own, visit our Project Submission Page to see all the details. We love all tutorials, and now especially love holiday ones! We make it worth your while! We love our contributors!
Have a great day! ~ Shirley, The Ribbon Retreat Blog Editor
12 Comments
thank you for the tutorials send me more if posible.
thank you again.
Such a cute, cute bow. Can’t wait to try this. Thank you so much for the tutorial.
Is there any particular order you thread the different colors on to get your patterened spikes to end up where you want them?
Hi Sara, here is what Brynde said “I have the 3 printed ribbons at the beginning, middle, and end. Then fill in the other 4 ribbons inbetween. I don’t think it really matters. Once you start pulling the thread around the center, you can bring one forward or back, whatever you need to make it look the way you want.” Hope this helps! – Shirley 🙂
Love e this. Seems like an easy one to try. Is it 7/8 for eh piece of ribbon.
Hi Sharon! Thank you so much! I am so glad you love this cute bow. Yes, the ribbon width is the 7/8″ grosgrain ribbon. Have so much fun making these fun bows!!! Thank you again and have a wonderful rest of your day! Michelle 🙂
Thank you for sharing . I ll be making few for my grandchildren !
Great tutorial , and beautiful bow as well as simple, at least you make it look simple .
Hi Rosa! Thank you so much! I am so glad you like these fun bows. Your grandkids are going to love them and look amazing wearing them! Good luck with your bows and thank you again for your sweet comment! Have a wonderful rest of your day! Michelle 🙂
I can’t find any mention of how big these are…can you tell me what they measure across, in inches?
Hi Jeanine! Thank you so much for your question. Spike Bows are so cute and so much fun but there really isn’t a definite measurement for them. We have some general instructions on achieving your desired size of bow, but nothing that is set in stone. It is all personal preference and the size of the stacked bow you are adding these too (if you are adding them to a stacked bow). Here are those instructions/suggestions…
-Measure the finished width of the hair bow and add 1”–2” to the ribbon strip. For instance, if the bow measures 5 inches wide, then make each spike 6”–7” inches wide.
-If, after your spike is added to your hair bow and the tails are too long, simply trim and re-seal each end. Once you become more experienced with using spikes, you will be able to determine your own style and how long you like the spikes.
I hope this helps! Thank you again for your question and good luck with your cute spikes! Have a wonderful day! Michelle 🙂
What would be your suggestion for making a spike bow attached to a hair band rather than a clip?
Hi Sarah! This should be fairly easy to do. Yay! 🙂 Once you’ve finished making the actual Spike Bow, rather than gluing the clip to the back of the bow (Picture 9), glue one edge of the Pony O (or hair band). Then, after the glue is dry, follow the rest of the steps, gluing the center ribbon around the center of the bow and around the Pony O. We have another tutorial that illustrates this as well. Here is a direct link: https://www.theribbonretreat.com/Catalog/how-to-make-a-pony-o-cheer-bow-streamer-video.aspx. Good luck and happy crafting!!