Making a DIY Cheer Bow
Cut a 26” to 32” length of 3” grosgrain ribbon. This is the ribbon you use to make the bow. Choose a longer ribbon to make your cheer bow larger.
Fold a 3” wide ribbon into the shape of an awareness ribbon. Lay the length of ribbon flat on your workspace and mark the midpoint by measuring it and using a fabric marker or by folding the ribbon in half and lightly creasing along the fold. Fold the left end of the ribbon to the right in a shallow diagonal. Then fold the right side diagonally so it crosses the first end.
Scrunch the middle of the ribbon to form a bow. Shift the crossed section of the ribbon to the midpoint you marked in an earlier step. Use your thumb and forefinger to bunch all three layers of ribbon together. When bunching the ribbon to create the bow, you can make it look neater by creating 3-4 small folds.
Loop a hair tie around a zip tie and secure the bow with the zip tie. While holding the bunched section, wrap a 4” cable tie around it. Slip a hair tie through the zip tie, and pull the zip tie just tight enough to secure the bow. Adjust the bow so it’s even, and move the elastic hairband to the back near when the zip tie fastens. Pull the zip tie tight, and then use your scissors to cut the zip tie’s excess tail flush with its fastener. Alternatively, secure the bow with the zip tie, then hot glue a hair tie to the zip tie on the back of the bow. Press one side of the elastic hairband into the glue and hold until set. Be careful to allow the glue to cool slightly before attaching the elastic hairband. Hot glue can burn your skin if you touch it before it cools. Remove any excess hot glue by lightly scratching it off or loosening it with rubbing alcohol.
Hide the cable tie with a piece of narrow grosgrain ribbon. Place a dab of hot glue on the center of the back of the bow. Press the end of your narrower ribbon into the glue and allow it to set. Then, wrap the ribbon around the center of the bow and press into the glue on the back. Alternatively, attach the narrow ribbon around the bow with ¼” double-sided tape. Remove the backing strip from one side of the tape and stick it to the back of the ribbon. Trim if necessary, and then remove the backing strip from the other side of the tape. Wrap the ribbon with the double-sided tape down around the cable tie securing the middle of the bow. Trim off any ribbon that extends beyond the center of the bow. To make the bow look like it was tied, cut a 3” to 4” length of your narrower ribbon. This works best with ½” to ⅞” widths. Tie a knot and pull tight. Trim the excess ribbon so there are about two inches on each side of the knot. Glue the knot to the front of your cheer bow, then wrap the ends around to the back and glue them together covering the glued section of the elastic hairband. Trim any excess ribbon.
Trim and seal the bow’s tails to prevent fraying. Use your scissors to cut the end of each of the bow’s tails on a diagonal or in a chevron (or fishtail) shape. You can cut an even chevron shape by folding the very end of the tail in half lengthwise and then cutting from the fold to the edge in a downward diagonal. After cutting, use your lighter to skim the flame quickly along the cut edge of the ribbon to seal it. Make sure you move very quickly and only touch the flame to the very edge of the ribbon, or it could melt.
Shape the ribbon loops if needed. The bow’s loops may have flattened while you were finishing up. You can make them look fuller by placing your fingers inside each loop and fluffing it out.
Spray the bow with a stiffening agent to help it keep its shape. Use spray starch, hairspray, or Aleen’s Stiffen Quik. If you use spray starch, you must spray and iron your ribbon before making the bow.
Ideas for Cheerbow Designs
Use ribbon with a pre-printed design like plaids, stripes, or polka dots. This can help you bring more color to your cheer bow designs. It also gives you a chance to incorporate your school colors in fun and interesting ways.
Add rhinestones or sequins to the ribbon for a little extra sparkle. You can use rhinestones to create a pattern across the ribbon or line the edges with sequins…or both! There’s an almost endless variety of items you can use to bring more glitz to your cheer bows.
Iron-on images or letters to personalize your cheer bows. Use iron-on patches and decals to add your name, school initials, or school mascot to your cheer bow. You can also create your own patches for more customization options.
Attach several ribbons of different sizes and colors. Create a fuller cheer bow by hot gluing a variety of ribbons to the back. Loop each ribbon and tack it to the back of the bow with a small dab of glue. Make sure you arrange the ribbons with the loops pointing out from the center so they appear to be tied in with the bow.
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