How to Make Shoe Bows

Make clip-on bows to dress up your shoes.

If you are tired of your old shoes, give them a new look by creating a pair of shoe bows. Shoe bows consist of loops of ribbon attached to a shoe clip. The bows clip right onto the front of your shoes, instantly transforming each shoe into something new. There is no sewing involved in this craft project, just a bit of cutting and gluing. If you have scrap ribbon, a hot glue gun and two shoe clips, you can hand-make a pair of shoe bows to dress up your shoes today.

Things You'll Need

• 1 1/2-inch ribbon
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• 1/2- to 1-inch ribbon
• 2 shoe clips

Instructions

1. Measure a 10 1/2-inch length of 1 1/2-inch ribbon using a ruler. Cut the ribbon at the 8-inch mark. Lay the ribbon right side down on a flat work surface. Position the ribbon horizontally across the space.

2. Fold the left end of the ribbon back on itself to create a 5-inch loop. Fold the right end of the ribbon back on itself to create a second 5-inch loop. Position the right end of the ribbon so that it overlaps the left end of the ribbon by 1/2 inch.

3. Lift up the right end of the ribbon and place a drop of hot glue on top of the left end of the ribbon. Lay the right end of the ribbon back down on top of the left end. Push the ribbon ends together and hold until the glue dries.

4. Pull open the circle of ribbon. Apply a drop of hot glue at the center point inside the ribbon, just underneath the glued seam. Press the ribbon's seamed side to the center of the opposite side. Hold the ribbon layers together until the glue dries.

5. Cut a 3 1/4-inch length of 1/2- to 1-inch ribbon. Choose ribbon that coordinates with the colors of the first type of ribbon. Wrap the smaller piece of ribbon around the center of the larger loop of ribbon. Overlap the ends of the small ribbon by 1/4 inch. Position the overlapped ends of the smaller ribbon over the seam in the larger ribbon.

6. Hot-glue the overlapped ends of the smaller ribbon together. Place a drop of hot glue on top of the seam of the larger ribbon and underneath the seam of the smaller ribbon. Press the seams together until the glue dries.

7. Hot-glue a shoe clip to the back of the bow. Place a drop of hot glue on the back center of the bow. Press the shoe clip to the bow and hold until the glue dries. Make a second shoe bow in this same manner. Clip one shoe bow to the front of each of your shoes.

References

• "The Complete Photo Guide To Ribbon Crafts"; Elaine Schmidt; 2009
• Hip Girl Boutique LLC: How to Make Bow-Tie Hair Bow Clips
• Keep and Share: Tutorial for Making Shoe Clip-Ons
• Momtastic: Sequin Shoe Clip