If you love ribbon and bows, I am about to introduce you to one of the most amazing tools ever invented to help us make beautiful bows, time after time, without fail. It's a funny looking little piece of plastic, but wait until you use it! Now it's a little tricky to figure out, which is why I've created this pictorial for your use. I know I had a hard time at first, so it sat unused until I was able to figure out the exact way to use it. I don't want that to happen to you!! The biggest key to mastering this tool is practice. So play around with it. You can use the same piece of ribbon to keep practicing so there is no waste. Just untie your bow and start again!
I've got to tell you that my favorite ribbon to use with the Bow Easy, is the silk ribbon from May Arts. Lacey has a gorgeous assortment of colors in stock just waiting for you to take them home. Don't get me wrong, you can use any size or kind of ribbon with your Bow Easy. The silk ribbon is just my favorite, and that's what I've used for this pictorial.
Start by choosing the size of the bow you want to make. Leaving a tail of the desired length, lay the ribbon across the Bow Easy as shown. Wrap the ribbon around the bow easy. As you can see in the next two pictures, I always make a double bow by wrapping the ribbon around the pegs twice.
After wrapping all the way around at least once, leave a tail however long you want on the other side, and cut your ribbon. I usually leave around four inches or so. You will learn what size tails you like, and how much ribbon you need to make your knot without having much waste when you're done.
Holding everthing tightly in your grasp, take your fingers and scrunch down the ribbon where the notch in the center of your ribbon is slightly exposed.
Again, keeping the ribbon taut with pressure from your hands, take the ribbon on top, keeping it straight with no twists in it, lay it across your hand where you can pinch the end.
Take the pinched ribbon and push it into the center notch
Flip your hand over and grab the end that is poking through the back.
Pull it through, keeping the ribbon straight without twists.
Flip your hand holding the Bow Easy back over so you're looking at the front of it again. Being careful to keep the ribbon straight, bring it up to the front of the tool.
Take your pointer finger up under the loop you just created by pushing the ribbon through the notch.
Take the tail and using your thumb, push the ribbon through the loop from your left to your right, and pull the tail under the loop.
It will look like this...
Grab the tail and start to pull it taut
Your ribbon (depending on the width) will be slightly off the Bow Easy, so just push it back down onto the tool.
Grab the tail again, and pull taut by pulling down toward your body first
Then finish it by pulling it tighter pulling away from your body.
Flip it around and look at the front of your bow to make sure you're happy with the way the knot looks. If not, undo it now and retie.
I always cut my tails while the bow is still on the tool. I just feel it's easier to be sure and get them the same length. If you like the "V" shaped tail, fold the tail in half and snip the tail to the desired length with your scissors.
When you're finished, using both hands, carefully slip your entire bow off of the Bow Easy, working carefully so you don't mess your bow up!! Voila! The perfect bow each and every time!
Hope you enjoyed this, and more than anything, I hope it has helped you understand this fabulous little tool!
For those of you who would like to see a video tutorial, check it out here.
Chris used the adorable summer image from Stampavie called 
Ansley stamped and colored 
