“How to Make a Bow for a Christmas Wreath: 3 Methods With Exact Ribbon Lengths”

By Evercombe Team · Updated October 14, 2026 · 7-minute read

Quick answer: The best wreath bow for beginners is the classic two-loop with tails: fold a V of wired ribbon, pinch, wrap a chenille stem or floral wire around the pinch, fan the loops, and fluff the tails. Use wired ribbon, 2.5 inches wide for a standard 20-24 inch wreath, and cut tails at about 25-30% of the wreath’s diameter — roughly 6-8 inches each.

Search “how to make a wreath bow” and you’ll get video after video — great to watch, awkward to follow mid-craft with ribbon in both hands. What’s missing from the first page of results is written instruction with actual numbers: how many yards of ribbon, how long the tails, which ribbon to buy. This guide is that — three methods from basic to deluxe, each with exact yardage and a wire-and-attach step that works on any wreath.

What to Buy First (This Decides Half the Outcome)

Wired ribbon, 2.5 to 4 inches wide. The wire along the edges is what lets a loop hold its shape and lets you fluff each loop after tying. Unwired satin and craft-store grosgrain slide and collapse within days on a door that opens and closes.

One 9-foot roll makes one classic bow for a standard wreath; buy two rolls for a five-loop deluxe. Spools in seasonal colors are in wired ribbon, and the rest of the tool list (chenille stems, floral wire, wire cutters) lives in wreath making supplies.

Method 1: Classic Two-Loop Bow (Start Here)

Difficulty: easy. Time: 5 minutes. Ribbon: about 2.5 yards (one 9-ft roll).

1. Cut roughly 2.5 yards of wired ribbon. Leave the tail ends uncut until the end — cutting early wastes ribbon.
2. Make the first loop (about 5-6 inches for a 20-24 inch wreath) and pinch it flat between thumb and finger.
3. Make a matching loop on the other side, pinching both loops together at the center. This pinch point becomes the bow’s “knot.”
4. Wrap a chenille stem or 8-inch piece of floral wire tightly around the pinch, twice, and twist the ends together at the back. Don’t use thread — wire is what keeps the bow on the wreath through wind and door slams.
5. Cut the tails from the remaining ribbon at 6-8 inches each, and cut each tail end at an angle or a notch (the notch stops fraying and reads more finished).
6. Fan and fluff: pull each loop open and curve its wire edge with your fingers. Fluffing is 80% of the “professional” look — an unfluffed bow is a flat butterfly.

Method 2: Five-Loop Deluxe Bow (The Full Wreath Look)

Difficulty: medium. Time: 15 minutes. Ribbon: about 4-5 yards (two 9-ft rolls).

This is the layered, puffy bow that fills the bottom of a show wreath. Instead of two loops, you build five loops at three sizes in one hand: large, medium, small, medium, large — like folding a paper fan with pinches.

1. Hold the ribbon end as your first tail (6-8 inches), then fold your largest loop (about 7 inches) and pinch.
2. Without releasing the pinch, fold a slightly smaller loop on the same side, then the smallest center loop, then two mirrored loops to complete the fan.
3. Wire the whole pinch tightly as in Method 1. The trick is wire tension: tight enough that loops can’t slide, loose enough that you can still reposition each loop while fluffing.
4. Fan loops in a zigzag — left loop forward, right loop slightly behind — and curl the two tails downward.
5. Optional sixth element: a second short strip tied through the center as a “knot” cover, tails snipped to 3 inches.

Method 3: Figure-Eight Bow (Minimal, Modern)

Difficulty: easy-medium. Time: 8 minutes. Ribbon: about 2 yards.

The figure-eight (also sold as a pre-tied “EZ bow”) is two teardrop loops crossed like an 8, wired at the crossing point. It’s the least bulky of the three, which suits slim wreaths, modern minimal styles, and small wreaths under 18 inches where a five-loop would eat the design. Fold one teardrop loop, cross the ribbon over itself into the second teardrop, wire the crossover, and fluff the two loops into vertical ovals.

The Ribbon Yardage Table (Print This Before Cutting)

Numbers assume 2.5-inch wired ribbon; 4-inch ribbon needs roughly 15% more length for the same loop sizes. The tail rule: each tail 25-30% of the wreath’s diameter — longer tails look elegant on 30-36 inch wreaths and swamp small ones.

Attaching the Bow to the Wreath

Placement first: the classic spot is the bottom third of the wreath, at 5 o’clock or 6 o’clock — dead center-bottom reads formal, offset reads current. To attach, use the wire tails left from your center wrap: run them through the wreath’s frame (grapevine, wire frame, or the base of a twig bundle) and twist onto the frame itself, not onto foliage that will shift. Give the bow a final fluff on the wreath, curling tail wire edges outward. If the wreath itself is still on your list, the full build walkthrough is how to make a wreath, styling options are in Christmas wreath ideas, and hanging method (including no-drill) is covered in how to hang a wreath on a front door. Finished wreaths that ship with the bow already tied are in Christmas wreaths.

Is a $12 Bow Maker Worth It?

The plastic “EZ bow maker” tools sold alongside holiday ribbon earn their price in exactly one scenario: you’re making five or more bows a season (multiple wreaths, a tree topper, stair garlands) and want uniform loops without measuring. For a single wreath bow, the tool teaches you nothing the pinch-and-wire method above doesn’t, and its fixed loop size fights you the moment you want a different scale. Buy more ribbon instead.

FAQ

How much ribbon do I need for a wreath bow?

About 2.5 yards (one 9-foot roll) of 2.5-inch wired ribbon for a classic two-loop bow on a 20-24 inch wreath; 4-5 yards for a five-loop deluxe. Wire-edge ribbon is non-negotiable — unwired ribbon collapses within days outdoors.

How do you keep a bow from flattening in shipping or storage?

Store bows attached to their wreaths, wreath flat in a box, with tissue paper loosely crumpled inside each loop. Never stack anything on top. The wire edges re-fluff after storage with thirty seconds of finger-curving — that’s the whole advantage of wired ribbon.

What size bow for a 24-inch wreath?

Loops of 5-6 inches and tails of 6-8 inches. The bow should read as roughly a quarter of the wreath’s visual mass — bigger works for a statement wreath, but on a standard front door it starts to hide the greenery that makes the wreath read as a wreath.

Can I use the same method with deco mesh?

Yes, but mesh behaves differently: it has its own structure (no wire needed in the ribbon), loops want to be ruffled rather than smooth, and the pinch needs one extra wire twist because mesh springs. The five-loop method is the standard mesh bow; the figure-eight doesn’t translate.