Korker Bows

Madalyn, oh so cute!

I told my sister I would put directions on how to make korker bows here, so here they are. I love these bows, not because they are quick to make, but they are very easy and require no tying, which is great for beginner bow makers. They work great when you're trying to match a multicolored outfit.


So first gather your supplies. You'll need a 1/4"-5/16" dowel, short enough to fit into your oven. You may want a few of these so you can bake a lot of them at a time. You'll need two clothespins for each dowel. Ribbon, 3/8" ribbon is the easiest to work with, but you can do smaller, I've never done bigger, I would imagine the curls wouldn't stay very well. The more colors and patterns, the cuter the bow, just my opinion. Scissors, dental floss or elastic thread, hot glue, and an alligator cip or french barrette.

Second, clip one end of your ribbon to the dowel with the clothespin and wrap your ribbon around your dowels, keeping it tight and fairly evenly spaced, clip the end of ribbon with other clothespin. Place on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake in your oven at 275 degrees for about 15 minutes, you might want to do it longer if it doesn't seem curly enough. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from dowel.


Third cut all of your korkers to desired length. The longer the korkers the bigger the bow, so just keep that in mind. The ones I did for Maddie's bow pictured above were about 3-4 inches, the one I am making in the pictures were probably 2 1/2" since it was for Annabelle. It's up to you. And the more korkers you have the fuller the bow. Also don't forget to either use fraycheck on the ends of your ribbon or heat seal the ends by running the ends through a lighter very quickly. I only did two layers of korkers but you can do more than that.


Fourth, lay all out a length of dental floss and place your korkers on top of it. Arrange them so that they are layered, but laying the same direction. Don't forget to mix up your colors a bit. Then tie a knot with the dental floss. Your bow should look something like the bottom picture. Trim the ends of the floss.



Next, line an alligator clip with ribbon (starting at the bottom by the place you pinch, and going around the outide and down the top of the clip, and then to the inside of the clip, so everything but the bottom of the clip is covered.) and use hot glue to secure your bow.


And yes, I know this bow does not match what Annabelle is wearing, but I was making it for another outfit. Still so cute.