How To Tie A Perfect Bow Like A Pro * Always In High Heels

As you can probably already guess, Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. Not only do I get to buy presents for all of my nearest and dearest, but I get to wrap said presents in festive paper and beautiful bows. Plus, I get to fully embrace myself as a little holiday pixie and dust everyone and every thing in a fine coat of super sparkly glitter. But come to find out, wrapping presents isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Especially when it comes to finishing touches. So, today I’m here to share one of my favorite things in the world – How to tie a bow. Oh, and if you’re not quite to the bow tying stage yet, I also have a full tutorial on how to perfectly wrap a present here.

(Although if you don’t want to read all of the steps, you can scroll toward the bottom of this post. Of course I made you a step by step “how-to” video!)

What kind of ribbon do I need to tie a perfect bow?

First of all, the biggest secret of how to tie a bow like a pro is great ribbon. Of course, by great, I don’t mean expensive. I bought all of my ribbon at JoAnn this year at 60-70% off! Obviously, the best way to tie a bow that looks impressive and professional is to use ribbon that looks fairly similar on both sides (front and back). That way, you can never tell if something gets all twisted up! Another great tip is to use wired ribbon. Wired ribbon holds its shape, and a perky bow is a perfect bow!

How much ribbon do I need to tie a fancy bow on a present?

Next up – ribbon length. Ideally, your bow will be big and fluffy. With that in mind, you want to make sure you have plenty of ribbon. Now, if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like waste, this part might not be for you. In fact, it’s pretty much a guarantee, we’re going to have to trim the ends up a bit when we’re done. Meanwhile, take your present and lay it face down on top of your ribbon. Wrap your ribbon around the present in the desired fashion to see how long your ribbon should be. Finally, cut said ribbon to the appropriate length.

Quick side note… Here’s my current favorite way to place your ribbon. Lay your present on the ribbon. Wrap the ribbon around the present, twist, and wrap back the other way. Now flip your present back over.

Alright. Now we’re ready for the good stuff. Take the right side of the ribbon in your right hand. Now pass it under the wrapped ribbon and pull it through. Take the other side of the ribbon from the left side and pass it under the wrapped ribbon and pull it through. Sufficiently confused? Let’s continue. I promise we’re getting to the bow part.

Next up, take the right strand of ribbon and make a loop. Hold it near the mess we’ve created with all of the twisting ribbon. (Bear with me on this next little part. It sounds complicated, but it’s what is going to give you that perfect “this gift was wrapped by a professional” kinda look.) Then take your left strand of ribbon and cross it “pretty side up” across your right loop. Now take that same pretty side and feed it through the little space you just made between “right loop” and “pretty side up cross part”. You might have to twist your ribbon a bit to make this happen. Finally, pull it through and tighten your bow. (We’re basically tying our shoes with super fancy ribbon.) Does your bow currently look really unattractive? Don’t be dismayed!

How do I make my gift bow look perfect?

Finally, my favorite part – time to make it pretty. Because we wadded up all of our ribbon and basically just did gift wrap yoga to make this stunning bow, we need to fan it back out a bit. In other words, just smooth it back out as much as possible. Luckily, glitter ribbon in particular is very forgiving. Moreover, if your bow is a little lopsided, you can pull on the loops or strands to get everything a bit more evened out. Of course, nothing adds character like a few flaws, amiright? Last but not least, once you are fully satisfied with your bow, trim the ends.

And voila! Now you know how to tie a fancy bow like a professional! Not only will you have the best gifts under the tree, but you’ll have the prettiest too!